Words Without a Voice
by OZ x OZ
Summary: A boy found in a mountain...a girl who is fighting an empire...and brigade seeking to aim for the top...a dark shadow behind the decaying king...two men: One to pierce the heavens, the other to destroy it. Pairings: SimonxYoko OCxKiyoh M for Safety
1. Discovery

**I do not own Gurren Lagann. Gainax does. Any characters not shown in Gurren Lagann belong to me.**

* * *

The Northern Mountainous regions can be beautiful during some seasons of the year. The trees change with the season, going from bare in the winter to lively in the spring. The mountains that littered the region were for almost nine months of the year snow-capped, at least the high ones. But for summer, the snow would finally melt, and run down to the rivers and streams below, making the land bountiful and beautiful for the eyes to see.

But Kinon knew that she didn't have the time for sight seeing. It was summer, and the humid weather was starting to annoy her. Her face contorted in a scowl at the irritating humidity.

"Why couldn't we just stay where we were?" she thought out loud as she peered through the binoculars. "Down south at least it's dry and we might get to see Kamina again too. This sucks."

The Black Siblings' encounter with the small group called "The Gurren Brigade" was interesting to say the least. It consisted of Kamina, the self proclaimed "Demon Leader" of the group hailing from Giha Village and pilot of the _Guren_. There was Yoko, the shapely marksmen hailing from Ritona Village. There was also a creepily androgynous mechanic named Leeron, also from Ritona. And little Simon, a kid who was around Kiyal's age, maybe younger but Kinon didn't ask, and he always hung out with a pig mole too.

While she scouted the area for Northern Army patrols and convoys, Kittan and her sisters were back a kilometer or so away making camp. Kinon chewed on the strange Beastman substance known as "Gum", blew a bubble with it, and chewed it back into her mouth. She brought her binoculars back to her eyes, scanning the woodlands for any trace of the glint of metal or a flash of Beastman fur.

Suddenly, she spotted what appeared to be a satellite dish on the face of a mountainside. She squinted and increased the binoculars' focus on the hillside.

She could see the outlines of a large rectangular silhouette, possibly a door.

* * *

"Big brother! Come see what I found!"

Kiyal bounded through the leaves, holding two dead Raccoon-birds, one in each hand. Her brother Kittan was setting up the finishing touches to their campsite.

"Nice work Kiyal! I'm starving!" said Kittan.

The base camp was spartan**. **Four sleeping bags centered around a fire, with their equipment near a tree along with their hovercraft. Kittan, the de facto leader of the Black Siblings, drooled slightly at the sight of what would soon be their dinner. Kiyal, still in her optimistic mood, suddenly started scanning the camp for her sisters. Only she and her brother were present.

"Where's Kinon and Kiyoh, Big Brother?" asked Kiyal.

"Kinon's out scouting for any potential Beastman targets," explained Kittan. "We're running a bit low on supplies, so we should stage another raid soon. Kiyoh's down at the creek taking a bath."

Kiyal took that information in and nodded slowly, putting the two genetically engineered animals down and going to the hovercraft. She grabbed out a cutting board, a skinning knife, and some skewers.

"Can you help me out Big Brother? I never, um, 'skinned' animals before," asked Kiyal.

"Usually Kiyoh handles that job, but I know how to. Let me help ya out."

Just when Kittan was about to cut the wings off the bird, the duo heard rustling in the bushes and snapping twigs. Kittan immediately switched his grip on the knife for combat, and Kiyal drew her pistol and aimed it at the sound.

"What is the name of our village elder?" asked Kittan very loudly.

Then a voice replied back, "Gagorye".

Kittan and Kiyal sighed in relief as they brought their weapons down, and Kinon walked into the campsite.

"Any of them fuzzballs around, Kinon?" asked Kittan. "Any towns we could raid?"

"Not a soul, but I did find something strange..." replied Kinon.

"Ooooooh, what'd ya find sis?" asked Kiyal, curiosity in her eyes.

"Ok, I think I may have found something big…."

* * *

Kiyoh gave a sigh of relief as she started drying off from her bath. Traveling from a dry desert to a humid mountain range could be tedious, especially with the climate change affecting their travel. Usually, provided they had extra water, an arid desert was easy to conquer. But a humid area full of hills and mountains to climb was, in her opinion at least, unbearable due to the heat and wet air.

She started humming a tune as she walked over to pick up her clothes and the Kuli Furry body wash she used to clean herself up. As she put on her black top with a bit of difficulty, she turned her head toward the direction of the camp, and noticed something odd. She squirmed into her skirt.

"At least the weight is going to the right place, why is Kiyal such a good cook…", she mumbled, contemplating the increased size of her shapely rear and silky, womanly plump thighs. If her mother were still alive she would have called them "childbearing hips". She grinned as she cupped her breasts and massaged the flesh that was her busom. They seemed to have grown larger since she and her siblings met Kamina.

"Guess I managed to beat out that redhead down south," she said to herself, pleased at the way her breasts bounced. She gave a slight giggle.

As she pulled on her socks, Kiyoh happened to glance down towards the creek. She paused, suddenly unsettled. Something was not quite right. Curious, she stripped off her clothes and strode back into the water. She dived, scanning her eyes across the riverbed. Seeing nothing, she rose, drew a breath, and dived again. Still nothing. She rose, drew breath, and paused. For a moment she felt foolish, thinking it just a fancy flash of imagination. But her curiosity would not yield to doubt, and she dived once again.

A rock near the centre of the riverbed drew her attention. She could not say how, but it did not seem quite right, almost as if it were out of place.  
It didn't seem to fit somehow. Driven by a sudden notion, she passed her hand over the rock. She started. The water flowed differently around the rock, almost as if it were being drawn down behind it.

After one last breath, she placed her hands upon the rock. The rock was neither large nor heavy, and it came away easily. Kiyoh looked down, wondering at the small round hole in the mud below the rock. She ran her fingers around it, wiping the mud away to reveal a metal pipe. She stuck her hand in the opening, felt it being drawn down.

She stood up, rising from the water with a splash. What could it be? Why would something be drawing water from the river? And why hide it?

Another thought occurred, and she looked up at the mountain that loomed nearby. For a few moments she saw nothing, except for a slight glint in the moonlight. She squinted, and eventually made out something up there. It was circular, with a thin rod extending from the middle. Kiyoh stared at it, wondering what it could be, and if it had any connection to the pipe.

"What the..."

She took another deep breath, intending to make one last pass at the hole before going back.

And with that deep breath, her bra snapped.

"Ah crap," she said as she subconsciously covered her larger bust and grabbed her bra with her free hand.

"I hope that any Beastmen we come across have my measurements, otherwise I'm gonna sag…" Kiyoh sighed sadly as she walked back to shore to dry off and head back to the campsite.

* * *

In the darkness beneath the earth, a great chamber was illuminated by the glow of a large, liquid-filled tube in its centre. Bubbles rose through the liquid, causing the shadows on the walls to ripple and undulate. Inside was a boy, floating upright, his grey hair dancing in the bubbling fluid. An observer familiar with humans would have thought him to be aged about fifteen.

The boy stirred suddenly, his red eyes fluttering open, glancing up at the pipe that pumped water into his sanctuary. He drew breath, and noted that something had changed. The smell of the liquid that gave him life was somehow different.

The boy knew that smell. It was similar to the smell of the one who usually stood outside his sanctuary, but that person was not present, and the room was dark. It was the smell of a body wash, the most popular in the Teppelin Empire amongst female Beastmen. One that his guardian liked to use whenever she would bathe with him.

Kuli Furry Bodywash.

* * *

"What's the name of our village elder"?

"Gagorye," said the voice.

"Welcome back sis!" chirped Kiyal.

Kiyoh walked into the camp only to find that her siblings were packing up. However, dinner was still cooking, at least judging by the smell of two roasting racoon-birds.

"What's with the packing guys? I we just got here a few hours ago," asked Kiyoh.

"We may have found a Beastman facility or something. We're gonna check it out to see if we can get some supplies," explained Kittan as he placed his rolled up sleeping bag in the trunk compartment of the hovercraft. "Course, it goes without saying that we'll be taking out any Beastman that might be there."

"You mean that mountain with that metallic object, right?" asked Kiyoh.

Kinon's eyebrows went up a little as she turned her head towards her elder sister. "How did you know?" she asked.

"I was bathing near a creek over there, it's actually within walking distance."

Kittan and Kiyal turned their heads toward Kinon with confusion on their faces.

"I was a kilo or two away and with the sun setting in my eyes my vision might have gotten misled. Sorry guys…" said Kinon dejectedly as she lowered her head a bit.

"Don't worry about Kinon, after all we would prefer a roof over our heads rather than the wilderness, hence why we are moving our stuff," said Kittan as he walked over and sat down by the fire and their dinner. The sisters finished placing their respective sleeping bags in the trunk compartment of their hovercraft and moved over to the fire and sat down.

"Who's up for some charred raccoon-birds?" asked Kittan with a smile on his face.

The girls nodded together as they waited for Kittan to cut the bird-mammals up into equal shares. Then suddenly,

"Hey Kiyoh, where's your bra?" asked Kiyal, breaking the silence. The three non-Kiyoh siblings turned their heads towards their sister.

Kiyoh's face went from a normal tan to a crimson similar to the fire crackling in front of her.

* * *

It was still deep in the night when the Black Siblings reached the mountain. After parking several meters away from the satellite dish, they noticed a large imprint of door on the mountain face.

"That was that door outline I told you about earlier," mentioned Kinon as she put the hovercraft in park.

The siblings got off the transport. Kiyal went over to pop the trunk open as Kittan went over to another compartment on the side of the trunk. He grabbed about two pounds of C4 and walked over to place them on the door. Just has he placed the first one on the door, the door immediately fell down inwards and landed with a large crash . All the siblings jumped in shock of the sudden loud noise.

"Well that solves any problems getting in," joked Kinon.

* * *

Deep within the facility, the boy stirred as the tube vibrated slightly. Whatever caused it to move, it was large and loud. Shrugging it off as a small earthquake, the boy closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

"Ok guys, this how we're going to do this. We'll salvage any small arms weapons and scout this base for any supplies and, if there are any, Beastmen. The electricity doesn't seem to be working judging how dark it is down there so we'll use our flashlights. Keep your communicators on and stay in contact. If you can find any power source here that can give this place a light or two, by all means be my guest and turn it on." Kittan rattled out orders as he walked back to the hovercraft and replaced the explosives, only to grab a sawed-off shotgun. Kiyoh pulled out an assault rifle and several magazines, while Kiyoh fit herself out with a pistol and a stun baton. Kinon hefted an automatic shotgun and a belt full of shells.

"Alright then, Black Siblings! Let's move out!" called Kittan with a booming yell as he gestured for his younger sisters to follow him. As one they walked forwards into the darkness, flashlights lighting up as they went.

Over the next twenty-four hours, they would set into motion events that would affect not only themselves, but the entirety of the human race.

* * *

**Well there you have it, my first ever fanfic. Thanks go out to Juubi-k and 1 over 0, for beta'ing, editing, and for any suggestions to help improve this fic in any shape or form (could not have done it without buddy).**

**My first rewrite of thise chapter, making corrections and what not.**


	2. Boy meets Girl

**I don't own Gurren Lagann or any characters pertaining, Gainax does.**

_Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves_

_~Thomas Carlyle_

Kiyoh moved in the darkness, her flashlight tied on her assault rifle with some Beastman-issue "duct tape". From what she could see, it was without a doubt an old facility belonging to the Beastmen, one that had been abandoned for some time. Walking slowly, with her flashlight illuminating the darkness before her, she rounded another corner, and another, and then another.

"How big is this base?" she muttered as she continued pacing slowly, eyes scanning for any indication of movement. The base was obviously abandoned, but that didn't mean it wasn't populated by wild animals. Or worse.

She came to the end of the hallway, and noticed that it split in two directions, to her left and to her right. Kiyoh had her light sweep the corridors, seeing a faint green glow coming from a door at the very end of the hallway on her left.

She brought up her communicator. "Hey guys, I might have found something."

A crackle of static, then a reply. "You did Kiyoh? What did ya find?" She recognized Kiyal's voice through the crackling.

"Possibly a room with a light," whispered Kiyoh. "I'm gonna check it out."

"You be careful sis." Silence.

Bringing her rifle to bear, she had the flashlight scan the floor so that she could walk without fear of tripping over anything. She soon found herself at the door, and could hear a slight humming sound as if from a machine. The same green light shone from the cracks around it. Turning off her flashlight, she brought her assault rifle to bear, and opened the door.

She walked on in, and the first thing that came to her sight was a large tube filled with light green liquid at the centre of the chamber. Her heart leapt in surprise as she saw a young boy submerged inside. Calming herself, she scanned the rest of the room, finding a few machines hooked to the tube alongside a large computer terminal. She realized that the green light she had seen earlier was coming from within the tube itself.

Moving closer, she noticed that the male was about 3 years younger than her, with steel gray hair, adrift in a blissful sleep. His body was what her people would call "acrobatic", lean and powerful, the skinny frame covered in well-defined muscles. He also seemed to be a bit taller than Simon, making him just a full head shorter than herself. She then noticed he was nearing no clothes. Blushing, she took a step back, only to trip over a wire and fall on her rear, her rifle skittering to the corner.

The boy stirred at the sound. Curious, he slowly opened his eyes, and noticed that he was not alone. He saw the young woman sitting on the ground rubbing her back, aged about eighteen or nineteen. She had long blond hair and wore a tight black top with an equally tight skirt, both serving to accentuate her voluptuous figure.

Such was of no interest to him. What fascinated him, what truly got his attention, was her eyes. They were as blue as the tranquil sky, and radiated a kindness he had known from only one person. The person who watched over him from outside his sanctuary. His beloved guardian…

Could this person be her? So much about her was the same. The same eyes, the same hair, the same body. At first glance only the clothes were different.

The boy immediately dropped the notion as he noticed that she was missing something. This girl, for all her resemblance to his guardian, lacked her triangular cat ears.

The boy looked on as the girl muttered something and got back up. When she lifted her head, she noticed the boy staring at her from within the container. Fascinated, the girl stepped closer, stopping at arms-length from the tube. The boy had a smile on his face, a kind smile that Kiyoh found strangely attractive. The thought made her blush, though only a little, the tension she had felt since entering the facility easing.

The boy placed his hand on the glass, as if wanting to touch her. Kiyoh started at the hand, and then did likewise. To anyone else, it would look as though their hands were touching.

* * *

Kinon's eyes squinted as she made her way back to the surface. She and her siblings had gone underground for more than four hours, and judging by the sky, dawn was approaching. She looked around the area, and noticed that she was the first one to surface. The only other objects around were the hovercraft, the satellite dish, and the silent trees. She took out her communicator.

"This is Kinon. I just made it back to the surface with some medical supplies. How are you guys doing?"

"This is Kittan. I found some weapons, just small arms stuff. I'm going to head back as -WAH!"

Kinon heard some cluttering and a crash.

"You okay, big brother?" She heard him grunt a few times.

"Yeah, just tripped over this damn…holy crap I hit the mother load!" Kinon blanched as she held the communicator away from her ear.

"What did ya find big brother?" Kiyal cut in.

"I found a Laser Bazooka!" Kittan sounded positively giddy. "A single shot from one of these can take out a Grunt Ganman easily!" Kinon chuckled as she pictured Kittan doing a victory dance.

"I found a lot of medical supplies. I think we stumbled upon a med base if you ask me," she commented, reaching into her pocket for another piece of gum.

"A med base with heavy weapons isn't a med base if you ask me," Kittan retorted "Looks more like an outpost if you want my opinion."

"You find anything, Kiyal?" Kinon said as she chewed on the gum.

"Found some clothes for us. Could make for some good disguises…oh hey lookie here!" Kinon grabbed her binoculars from the hovercraft and started walking over to the slope of the mountain. "I found a big pick-up bra! Kiyoh is gonna be thrilled!" Kiyal giggled over the line.

"Hey Kiyoh you get that?" Kiyal boasted with a grin. "You got yourself a new bra!_._"

No response.

"Kiyoh ya copy?"

* * *

Kiyoh and the boy stared into each other's eyes, each second feeling like an hour. Kiyoh couldn't get over the radiance of his scarlet eyes, and though she could not know it, her ocean blue made him feel the same. Feeling awkward, Kiyoh decided break the silence.

"Um…hi?" She gave him a quick wave. He waved back, that smile never leaving his face.

_'Man, this guy is cute. Kiyal will go ballistic_,_'_ she thought.

"My name is Kiyoh," she said, trying to sound friendly. "Um…what's yours?"

The boy tilted his head, gentle smile becoming a look of curiosity and confusion.

"That's right," Kiyoh said aloud, bringing her palm to her face. "How can he hear me if he's in wat-" she paled instantly. "Oh crap you must be drowning!"

Frantic, Kiyoh dashed over to a keyboard not far from the tube. She tapped at the buttons, desperate to free him. Inside the tube the boy watched in bewilderment. What was she so upset about?

After a few attempts the lights in the room finally turned on, and Kiyoh heard the sound of water gurgling through pipes. She turned around and saw the water draining out of the tube through openings in the bottom. After a minute or so, the boy was left standing in the tube, now even more confused. She pressed another button, and the tube slid upwards into the ceiling, exposing the now thoroughly bewildered boy.

Kiyoh sighed in relief as she wiped her brow.

"Crisis averted, now then…"

Kiyoh was about to ask the boy his name, but he was in front of her in a heartbeat, the same smile adorning his face. Up close, and without the obscuring liquid, Kiyoh saw that he was as well endowed _below_ as he was above. He stared into her eyes, quite unashamed of his nakedness, still wearing that radiant smile. Kiyoh gawked, caught completely off-guard. Ingrained modesty brought her hands quickly to her eyes, but found she could not resist opening her fingers just a crack. It was quite a sight.

"Do you have any clothes?" she managed to ask, her heart thumping.

The boy understood and nodded, running over to the other side of the chamber and opening a closet. He put on some boxers, brown shorts, and a plain black sleeveless T-shirt. He ran over to Kiyoh once again, who had calmed herself enough to uncover her eyes.

"Okay, now that we got that out of the way" she said, "what's your name?"

Before the boy could answer, she heard a familiar voice on her communicator.

"Kiyoh ya copy?"

Bringing her communicator to her ear, she replied.

"This is she, what's up Brother?"

"Find anything down there? We found medical stuff, food, and new weapons!"

"Great! You won't who believe what I found down here." She turned towards the boy and gave him a smile, which he gladly returned. He had been confused as to why she drained all the Life Preserve Liquid. But when he remembered the horror on her face, he concluded that she did not know the LPL's properties, and had rushed to the control console to save his life.

The thought made his heart flutter.

"Well, Kiyal found ya a new bra, it's a pick up one too, so if it stays longer, your breasts will remain that way for a long time."

"Awesome! I can't get a hold of Kiyal since I'm so deep in here. Can you relay that to her for me?"

"Will do, come back soon," Kittan's tone was suddenly serious. "The sun's rising and you know what _that_ means."

Kiyoh knew what he meant. Once the sun was up, Ganmen and Beastmen would be roving the wastelands looking for humans to kill, and the mountains were no exception.

"Copy that. I'm going to bring ya that guy I found. Maintain radio silence."

"Roger tha…wait, what do you mean _that guy_!" bellowed the communicator.

The boy was distressed by Kittan's loud remark, and Kiyoh took notice. Switching off the communicator to silence her sibling, she turned towards him.

"Don't like loud noises of any kind huh?"

The boy shook his head, and before Kiyoh could ask why, he opened his mouth and pointed his finger to it.

"Loud people? That's it?" The boy nodded.

"Ok then." Kiyoh realized that he wasn't talking, and before she could ask why, she noticed the strange mark on his throat. The boy felt her eyes going there, and subconsciously covered it with his hand, shame written on his face.

"What's wrong? Why can't you talk?" asked Kiyoh, her curiosity aroused.

The boy looked sadly at Kiyoh. She was most definitely not his guardian. His guardian had overseen his treatment, the one who had looked after him during the long recovery period. No, she was definitely no this guardian.

_'But then who is she?'_ he thought, _'Well, I guess it doesn't matter at this point. I'll have to show her or we'll get nowhere...'_

Looking to Kiyoh, he lowered his hand and left it hanging at his side, and brought his neck into full view. The blood drained from Kiyoh's face as she finally understood. She gasped in shock, covering her mouth.

Disfiguring the boy's neck was a horrendous scar, similar to a bite wound. It ran over his vocal chords, and Kiyoh guessed why he was unable to speak, and why she had found him in that strange place. Someone, or something, had sunk their fangs into his neck, and ripped his vocal chords with their bare teeth. She could not think of anything else that would cause such an injury.

* * *

They had come.

Kinon watched in horrified fascination as five meteors lanced whistling and rumbling through the morning sky, trails of red flame and black smoke billowing behind. She saw them crash to the ground about a kilometer from her position, felt the rumble of the impacts.

Had they been real meteorites, she would be nothing but ash on the wind. Kinon was not aware of this fact, but she had seen this sight enough times to know what it was.

Fascination turned to cold dread as she brought up her binoculars. She trained them on the nearest crash site, concealed behind a pall of smoke and dust. She saw movement within, and knew that she was right.

_Ganmen._

**Thanks go out to Juubi-k and 1 over 0, for beta'ing, editing, and for any suggestions to help improve this fic in any shape or form.**

**Reviews are much appreciated.**


	3. Illustrious

**I do not own Gurren Lagann or any material in the show/manga. Gainax does. In addition to the Gurren Lagann properties, there are also several non-canonical and original characters, ganmen, settings, and other story elements. These creations belong to me.**

* * *

Smoke billowed from the craters as Kinon rushed back to the slope, an RPG slung over each shoulder. Setting them down, she brought her binoculars to focus and identified the five ganmen.

She made out two regular Grunt ganmen; white, devil-faced, wielding heavy clubs. But with them were two of a new type she had never seen before. They were brown in color, and looked nothing like the ganmen she and her siblings were accustomed to facing. Their arms ended in what looked like railguns, and their gait was odd, at least compared to the Grunts.

Then she turned her gaze to the last of the ganmen, and when she saw it, her blood ran cold. She knew it well, and so did her siblings.

_Enki._

It was _that _ganmen, the one that had razed Bachika Village to the ground. A nightmarish humaniform, styled like a samurai warrior of old, with a Charge Particle Cannon set into the helmet in the form of a ring. The face that was its torso leered out at her, as if relishing the slaughter to come.

But this one was different. Unlike the Test Type, which had been white in color, this brown version had two spears lashed to its back in place of the twin katana.

_'Are they mass-producing it, or is it a unit for higher ups_?_'_ she wondered grimly. Neither prospect was very good.

She took cover, hoping that the ganmen might pass by without seeing her. Her siblings were still inside the base, and there were more ganmen than they were accustomed to fighting at once. The standard deployment was two or three, which the Black Siblings could deal with easily. But five? Including two new models and an _Enki_? Fighting them would be like trying to take on a goat-lion barehanded Or a pack of goat-lions, for that matter.

Trying not to shiver, she peeked out from her cover, peering at the ganmen through her binoculars. They were in a huddle.

_'Probably talking to each other,'_ she thought. She was too far away to hear what they were saying.

_'Maybe they'll ignore this place and pass by. That way we can ambush them later on.'_

But to her dismay, the ganmen started walking, advancing in her direction. But they did not charge, and Kinon felt a flash of hope, for perhaps they had not noticed her yet.

Then a chilling thought passed through her mind, and she whipped around to look behind her.

"Crap! The door!"

Although it was far away, any ganman within a kilometer or two could have seen the rectangular hole in the mountainside, to say nothing of the satellite dish nearby. She darted behind a rock with the bazookas, waiting for them to climb up the slope. She breathed slowly, in and out, controlling herself as she listened to their heavy footfalls.

Fortune smiled upon her. The first Ganman to appear was the Enki unit, climbing slowly up the slope. It appeared as if it still hadn't noticed her.

_'This is my chance_!_'_ She hoisted the rocket launcher from behind the boulder. She saw the Enki's hand reach the top, and put her hand on the trigger. As she saw the circular ring of its helmet, she pulled.

* * *

Kiyoh and the boy ran down the corridors, headed toward the surface. The boy kept good pace with Kiyoh, not looking the least bit tired. She wondered why he followed her so closely, especially given that the surface was probably the most dangerous place to be at the moment.

In fact, she wondered a lot about him. He boy was different from anyone she had met. Rather than most males, who would look downwards toward her bust rather than her face, he did the complete opposite, staring straight at her with a look of unrestrained curiosity. This fascinated and puzzled her to no end.

_'He's a bit strange, but judging by his smile and his actions so far, he's a pretty sweet guy_,_'_ thought Kiyoh as they ran down the dark corridors side by side.

She heard running as she turned a corner and found Kittan running in the same direction.

"Big brother!" she called. Kittan turned at the sound. He was carrying a long, cylindrical gun that looked to be fired from the shoulder. A cable ran from the gun to a unit on his back, evidently the power source.

"Kiyoh! We need to hurry! I heard…who's the kid!"

The boy was evidently intimidated by the tall blonde carrying a Charge Particle Gun in close quarters, and hid sheepishly behind Kiyoh.

"This that guy I told ya about earlier."

"You mean you found a _person_ in a beat up abandoned Beastman outpost? How did he survive? Or did he just follow us in here?" Kittan's thick eyebrows rose a centimeter or two.

"I'll explain later, but now we have to head back to the surface. We're wasting time"

"Good point we better-"

They were interrupted by the sound of an explosion from the end of the corridor. Kiyoh, the boy, and Kittan dove through open doors to either side as a gout of flame roared down the hall. The boy pushed Kiyoh ahead of him, falling on top of her with his hands on her large chest. Kiyoh lay where she was, awestruck at the determination in his crimson eyes, mere inches from her own.

The sound faded, the blast subsided. Kittan stepped out of the empty room into which he had leapt, stared for a moment at the scorched walls of the corridor, then saw a light at the end. He turned here and there, glancing through the doorways in search of Kiyoh and the boy.

Then he found them. For an instant he blushed, before embarrassment turned to anger.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hands off my sis bozo!" He stormed into the room, grabbed the grey-haired youth by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him off the prone Kiyoh. But the boy slipped out of his grasp and pushed him aside.

"Why you little sonuva…!" Kittan trailed off as he saw the boy help Kiyoh get to her feet. The boy checked her body, as if looking for any injuries.

"Don't worry, I'm ok," Kiyoh said gratefully. "Thanks for the save, you didn't need to that for me."

"Huh," Kittan mused. "Guess you're not so bad after all lil' guy." The boy blushed sheepishly at their praise.

"Ok, listen to me," said Kiyoh, putting her hands on his shoulders. "I want you to find someplace to hide. If I don't come and find you, stay there for a long time after the noises stop, ok?" The boy nodded. The chatter of gunfire reverberated down the corridor, as if to emphasize her instruction.

"Kiyal's already up there!" Kittan looked surprised. "Using that chain gun too? Damn she runs fast!"

"We can talk about her athleticism later, big brother. Let's go!"

She pulled the assault rifle from her back and clicked the safety off, while Kittan loaded shells into his shotgun. They ran, neither noticing the boy's eyes, covered as they were by his hair.

They had changed the moment he heard gunfire. His eyes, once curious and innocent like a newborn babe, were now hard and experienced, those of a veteran, or an assassin.

He raced back down the opposite way and into another corridor, which had one door at the very end. He knew where he was going, and he knew what was behind that door.

Something that would change the fate of humanity and carve out one man's place among the stars.

* * *

Kinon rushed to another boulder, ditching her last RPG. She hissed in frustration, for the battle was not going well. She had managed to take out one of the Grunts by firing a rocket into its mouth, blasting it apart in a shower of scorched metal. She had even disabled the Charge Particle Cannon on the _Enki_ via similar means, shifting the odds a little in their favour. Kiyal had arrived at about that time, bringing with her a chaingun of all things. So armed, she had managed to blow the arm off one of the Grunts.

That made one down, one crippled, one damaged but functional, and two still functional.

The new models, the ones with railguns for hands, were still climbing the hill, obviously very slow. That made it a game of cat-and-mouse between the two younger Black Siblings and the _Enki_unit, along with his one-armed subordinate. Kinon knew that she and her sister needed to stall for more time, otherwise whatever cover they had left would be shredded once the two new ganmen got into firing position.

Kinon snatched a grenade from her belt, and was about to throw it at the _Enki_ when she heard what was possibly the worst thing she had heard all day.

"Goddammit, I'm out!" It was Kiyal, her chaingun whirring emptily before falling completely silent.

Kinon cursed, hurling the grenade at the brown _Enki._ But the pilot was a step ahead of her, the circular shield on its wrist popping open as the grenade went off, catching the blast as it had with her last RPG. Kinon reached to her belt, and found nothing there.

She opened her mouth to curse, only to be cut off by a burst of laughter from the _Enki_.

"Guess you're out of ammo, I see?" mocked the ganman, in a voice that matched the look on its face.

Kinon glared, pulling her shotgun from her back. She fired again and again, the bullets pinging off the ganman's armor. This only made it laugh even more. As she reached for another clip, the_Enki _reached down and grabbed her in one hand, lifting her into the air.

"General Guame always pays any beastman handsomely should they bring back more human females, especially the young ones like yourself," the _Enki_ chuckled villainously. Kinon squirmed, trying to get out of the mech's grasp, but to no avail. She heard another cry, and recognized it instantly.

"No, Kiyal!" she yelled, turning towards the source of the sound. She saw the Grunt ganman from before hoist her younger sister up in the air. She heard rumbling and saw that the new models had made it to the top.

"Awesome! Pay raise for me now!" cackled the distorted voice of the maimed Devil-head Grunt. She saw the new ganmen aim their railguns at the door. Purple bolts flashed from the barrels, tearing into the rock face above the door. She stared in horror as the resulting rockslide covered the door's entrance. There would be no escape.

"That should take care of any stragglers down there" chuckled one of the new ganmen.

"Laugh this off fucker!"

Kiyal and Kinon perked in renewed hope as a crimson beam burst from the trees. One of the new ganmen, the one that had spoken, took a direct hit to the mouth, exploding into a fireball.

The _Enki_ and Grunt leapt into the trees, the siblings screaming as they went. The _Enki_ drew one of its spears, bisecting the trees with a clean slice, but discarding the spear in the process. Kinon heard a cry, followed by a burst of gunfire, as the _Enki _swooped down on two more figures.

It was Kiyoh and Kittan.

* * *

The boy ran, as fast as he could. A closed door barred his way; he broke it down with a swift kick. Another door met the same fate, and another, and another, until he reached his destination.

It was another chamber, larger than the one he had inhabited before. There was something at the other end, vaguely humanoid in shape, looming over him in the darkness. He reached for the light switch, as if he had entered that place a thousand times, and flicked it on. The lights clunked as they flickered to life, illuminating the chamber from every angle. Now the boy saw clearly what he had come to find.

It was tall, around 3 stories in height. It was white and blue, the blue a shade so dark as to be almost jet-black. Great pauldrons covered its shoulders. There was a face set into its chest, a leering parody of a human visage. The face upon its head was positively demonic, with small, narrow eyes and a jutting chin lined with what might have been a closed, fanged mouth. It gave off an air of palpable malevolence. Its limbs were long and limber, but strong and covered in plates of armor.

The boy saw the staircase leading to an opening in the monolith's throat. He ran up the stairs two at a time, stepping through the opening and into the cockpit. He felt something under him as he sat down, and reached to pull it out. It turned out to be a strange key, shaped like a drill but jet black in colour. Glancing around, the boy spotted what might have been the keyhole. He slipped the key into the hole and gave it a twist.

A rumble came from down below, followed by the hum of electronics coming online. The cockpit slid shut, plunging the boy into darkness. Screens flashed into life before his eyes as a laser from the ignitions scanned him.

_**All systems Green**_

_**Neuron-analysis indicates pilot is at full recovery. Sleep mode disengaged.**_

_**Spiral Power output 45%**_

_**Resonance Ratio at 10%. Switching to manual piloting controls.**_

_**Illustrious Kazenami is active**_

The head of the _Illustrious Kazanami_ jerked as the eyes flashed. The cockpit lights came on, revealing two joysticks, one at either side. The boy instinctively knew them to be the controls, and grabbed them with the air of someone who had been doing this for their entire life. He moved the joysticks experimentally, feeling the familiar feeling of the shoulders rotating in their sockets. He tapped at the buttons he felt on the joystick with practiced ease, the hands of the mecha moving gracefully in response.

Suddenly his thoughts turned to the blonde girl, Kiyoh. Of how she might be fighting for her life, and probably was, at that very moment. A surge of determination flowed through him. A white Spiral gauge flared to life near the ignition as if in response to his determination. It spun clockwise, filling up with white light. Several status messages rolled across another screen.

_**Spiral Power output rising…**_

_**65%...85%...89%...100%**_

_**Specialized Shingann Fighter Illustrious Kazenami Mark 1 is at full power. Clear for launch.**_

The boy thrust the handles forward, the _Illustrious_ breaking free of its bindings. It walked forward, stepping over the crates that littered the floor. The boy halted, realizing that there was no way out. He scowled. He wanted to get out and protect his guardian. She was in danger, and he couldn't even get to her. His eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

The machine seemed to sense his anger and determination. It dropped into a running stance, broke into a full-out sprint, and leaped straight at the wall.

* * *

"Hahahaha! This is possibly the best roundup we have had a in a while!" called the _Enki_ triumphantly. The girls were now tied up, and the last of the new _Gunzar Heavy-Type_ units watched over them, railguns at the ready. Kittan was up against a tree, glaring at the Grunt and _Enki_, whose backs were to the mountainside.

"General Guame is going to be quite pleased, knowing that we got three females to add to his Beauty Village. I heard they've been having a shortage recently," commented the Grunt.

"Yeah, too bad for this guy that he lacks a uterus and a pair of tits," replied the _Enki_ as it aimed its arm towards Kittan, readying its Tracer Darts to fire. Kitten stood his ground, his stare not faltering.

"Not scared, are ya human?" mocked the Enki.

"The day I become scared of you fuckers is when the sky itself falls, and that ain't happening anytime soon!"

"How brave. Too bad you're human; we could use that kind of bravery down in the Eastern Regions. Thymilph says he's got some kind of human resistance group causing him trouble, or some bullshit like that." The Enki mimicked spitting, obviously discontented with the performance of the Eastern Forces. Returning to the present, he raised his arm, ports on his wrists opening up. "Any last words? Naked ape?"

Kiyoh was crying. It was not just that her brother was about to die, and that she and her sisters faced slavery or worse. That was an occupational hazard that they had always suspected would eventually catch up to them. Instead, she was crying for the boy, whom she would never get to know, who was doomed to die inside the mountain. She couldn't shake the image of him in there, all alone, slowly dying of starvation, those beautiful red eyes fading in the darkness, never to see the light of day.

"Please…" she whispered. Sorrow and desperation welled up inside her, until she threw back her head and screamed. Someone... anyone...

"**Somebody save us**!"

The mountainside behind the ganmen exploded, rocks flying out in a cloud of dust. The ganmen flinched, instinctively covering themselves with their arms as the dust washed over everything. As they looked up, they saw the tall dark figure with menacing white eyes in the billowing dust.

The _Enki_ reacted first, whipping up one arm to fire its tracer darts. The figure leapt into the air, coming down on the unsuspecting ganman with both fists clenched, crushing the helmet and landing on all fours behind it. The _Enki_ staggered as the newcomer turned around, catching it as it fell. The newcomer was obviously a ganman, with the distinctive face in its chest, but unlike anything any of them had seen. The two subordinate beastmen could only watch in horrified disbelief as the demonic ganman lifted the struggling _Enki_ over its head. It clenched its fingers, driving them into the _Enki_'s back, the arms shuddering as they began to pull.

The _Enki _came apart in a shriek of tortured metal, the fingers unclenching to let the two halves fall. As they rolled down the mountainside, the demon turned its glowing eyes upon the other two ganmen. The set of its jaw seemed to ask, "_Anyone else?_"

Something broke the spell on the other ganmen. The Grunt charged, swinging its heavy club. It jumped, seeking to strike from behind, but the demon turned on its heel and kicked, slicing the ganman in two as it came down.

The Black Siblings could only watch in awe. As the _Ganzar H-type_ opened fire, the demon knelt and leapt towards it, flipping as it went. It landed feet-first on the _Ganzar_, knocking it to the ground. One of the tall pauldrons opened, the dark ganman pulling what appeared to be a knife from it. It jammed the knife into the _Ganzar_'s mouth, a geyser of blood spraying forth as it penetrated the cockpit. It stabbed again, and again, backing away as the ganman exploded. Kiyoh and her siblings yelled, part in triumph, part in fear, as the smoke blew over them. The smoke cleared, revealing the dark ganman to be unharmed.

It turned, and began striding towards them. The rising sun was at its back, and to Kiyoh it looked like a demon advancing out of hell, the white of its armor and both sets of eyes glowing with what might have been bloodlust.

Kiyal and Kinon squeezed their eyes shut, whimpering in fear, but Kiyoh could only stare, unable to tear her gaze away. As the ganman reached them it stopped, dropping to one knee, the armor plates at the throat sliding up and down, revealing a space inside.

"A cockpit?" the blonde blurted out.

A figure jumped down, landing on the machine's bent knee, and then hopped to the ground. Kiyoh squinted, the sun blinding her eyes as the figure came closer.

Then she saw him, and she gasped in shock.

Their savior was none other than the boy she had found.

"Wait a minute!" Kittan protested, not believing what he saw. "You're telling me this kid, the one you found, piloted that two-faced ganman who looks more like a nightmare than a machine, and turned those beastmen into charred road kill?"

The boy set about untying the girls from the tree, and Kittan rushed over.

"You saw him back inside, remember brother?" Kiyoh replied, staying close to the boy.

"Wow, Kiyoh! He's a hottie!" exclaimed Kiyal as she inspected the boy. "I mean, he's like a combo of Kamina and Simon, but cuter!" The boy blushed and moved closer to Kiyoh, even hiding behind her. Kiyal had a sour look on her face.

"No fair, he likes you sister!" Kiyal pouted. "You're so lucky…" she added in an irritated mumble.

"Well I found him first. That may be why he's so comfortable around me. Other than that he is pretty shy I suppose," proposed Kiyoh, looking down at the boy, who smiled one of those smiles that tended to either light up rooms or blind people. Kiyoh smiled back, feeling a strange bond blossoming between her and the boy who seemed to have attached himself to her.

The boy, although extremely happy that he had saved his guardian, was wary of her companions. The male was the one from the communicator, whom he had later met in the base. He was still intimidating, but the other girls seem okay. Well, no the purple-haired girl; her invasiveness was beginning to creep him out.

Kinon took note of all this and decided to ask the boy a question.

"Do you have a family by any chance, mister?" The boy perked up at her question, then looked down in shame.

"Well, come on then! Answer the lady bozo! Ever heard of manners?" demanded Kittan, hands on hips. This only made the boy's head shrink lower, his hair hiding his eyes. Kiyoh had a sad look on her face, knowing full well what the issue was. She bent down to his level.

"It's okay," she whispered comfortingly. "They're my family. They'll understand."

The boy looked at her, seeing truth in her eyes. He then stood straight and tilted his head back, exposing his neck for all to see.

Kiyal and Kinon paled, their breath momentarily catching in their throats from shock. Kittan's look of suspicion turned to sadness as he saw the damage that had been done, the marks of a savage mauling.

"Oh…" he said to the boy, his voice gentle for once. "I'm sorry for being so...I didn't know."

"You poor thing," Kinon whispered, horrified. "Who could do such a terrible thing?"

Kiyal whimpered a bit, her eyes threatening tears.

"Do you have a family?" she sniffed slowly, carefully, trying her best not to cry.

The boy shook his head no. He couldn't remember having a family

"Well in that case! We'll be your family!" proclaimed a loud voice. Shocked out of their maudlin, they turned towards the speaker, which turned out to be Kittan. "Orphans like us have to stick together, right? Hell, who even cares about blood anyway?"

The boy tilted his head to the side, as if thinking. He looked up at Kiyoh, as if seeking reassurance or permission. She smiled down at him.

"You get to travel with us, and we get a little brother. It's a win-win situation."

The boy seemed to consider it, and then nodded vigorously.

"Yay!" Kiyal started jumping about. "I got a new brother! I got a new brother!" A hand stuck out in front of the boy's face. He followed it up and regarded his second new sister.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Kinon." She raised her glasses a little bit with her free hand while the boy shook the other one.

"And I'm Kiyal! Nice to have you in the family_, lil'bro_!" The youngest Bachika shook his hand and gave him a quick hug. The boy looked a lot more comfortable with her being in close contact. All the same, it took him a second to hug her back hesitantly.

"And you know me, I'm Kittan, your new big brother." Kittan took the boy under his wing and gave him a one armed hug. The boy basked in the glow of companionship, his heart filling with joy and his face lighting up with a smile. He looked to his guardian, who also smiled, feeling a little bit of his joy herself.

"Alright, now we need a name for ya!" chirped Kiyal, bouncing around in excitement.

"Before mom died, she said that if she were to have a boy, she would have named him Kirei," Kinon said informatively. "How does that sound to ya, buddy?"

The boy closed his eyes and thought it over, twisting the word around in his head, wishing that he could have felt how it sounded when spoken. _Kirei_. A name for a new beginning.

_'Kirei is a nice name,'_ he concluded. He nodded happily.

"Then it's settled! Welcome to the Black Siblings, brother! From this day forward you are now Kirei Bachika!" proclaimed Kittan exultantly. Kinon smiled, and Kiyal broke into a victory dance.

The group soon split apart to various tasks. Kittan headed over to the downed hovercraft to start packing, and Kinon headed for the ruined ganmen for spare parts, Kiyal bouncing after her. Kirei Bachika quickly moved once again to the side of his new guardian, the girl named Kiyoh.

Kiyoh and Kirei stood together, watching as the sun rose over the _Illustrious Kazanami_. The boy quietly reflected that, whatever he had forgotten, whatever had happened in the past, nothing mattered any more but the future. The future that he had with his new family; the future that couldn't ever hold anything that they could not overcome. Because they were together.

_'I wonder if I ever had a family. I wonder if they were as nice as these people.'_

* * *

**Thanks go out to Juubi-k and 1 over 0, for beta'ing, editing, and for any suggestions to help improve this fic in any shape or form (the guy is a gift from god I'm telling you).**


	4. Incitement

**I do not own Gurren Lagann or any material in the show/manga. Gainax does. Kirei Bachika and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me.**

Fortune smiled on the Black Siblings for several days following their acceptance of Kirei as a member of the family. They had managed to liberate a hoverbarge from a ganman patrol, and they made good time across the desert, with the _Illustrious_ pulling them along at a slight jog. What was more, the hovercraft was big enough to carry all of their supplies, including the loot from the outpost.

During this time they tried hard to communicate with their new sibling, despite the fact that he could not speak. At the very least he was able to nod for yes and shake his head for no, and was capable of getting across simple messages via expressive motions. Communication became a strange version of charades, providing a kind of game to play whenever they stopped for the night. At first they had eagerly asked questions about the newcomer's past, but had been stymied at his refusal to respond. At first they had thought his reluctance to stem from the horrors that had left him with the wound on his neck. But eventually he made them understand his true problem.

Kirei had no memory whatsoever. No matter what they asked him, it came out blank. This had saddened them at first, but they soon forgot as they made new memories, teaching him how to use the various equipment and other survival skills, and playing games with him around the campfire. This made Kirei happy; his missing memories slowly ceased to pain him.

Eventually they found themselves wandering aimlessly, uncertain of where to go next. Finally, after the fifth day, Kittan made a suggestion.

"Why don't we head back southeast? The beastmen there don't know about Illustrious. What's more," he grinned enthusiastically, "we can show Kamina he's not the only one with a two-faced ganman that can beat the ever-living shit out of the beastmen!"

The siblings all agreed, and thus they headed southeast, the girls riding in the hoverbarge while Kittan cruised alongside on a hoverbike.

As they continued their journey, something began to itch at Kinon's brain. When she and her siblings had been held as captives, they had heard the beastmen mention a General named Guame and another named Thymilph. The beastmen were clearly organized; that had been obvious from the beginning. But the more she thought about it, the more she believed that there was some sort of hierarchy to the beastman forces. Every hierarchy has its top, and she found it somehow hard to believe that a race like the beastmen was led by a council of generals. Thus, she theorized that somebody else sat at the top, somebody beyond the generals they had already heard about.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a whooping sound. It was Kittan doing tricks, slewing back and forth, darting in between the Illustrious' striding legs. The two new brothers would often challenge each other to races, Kittan on the hovercraft and Kirei in the Illustrious. They seemed to enjoy their contests enormously, but their pleasure subjected the sisters to bumps and clouds of dust. The brothers ceased their merrymaking only when confronted by a fuming Kiyoh, her blonde hair in a dirty and tangled mess.

Kinon decided to check the map, fearing that her brothers' antics had taken them off course. As she looked down on the right side of the map, she saw it marked with tiny hills and a body of water with clouds, or steam, around it. Intrigued, she walked over to the side of the barge and yelled at Kittan. "I think I found something!"

Kittan turned his head, gave her an acknowledging wave, and honked the horn a few times. The ganman looked down at the hovercraft and nodded, slowly coming to a stop. Kittan hopped off the bike and walked over to the side of the hover barge.

"What's up, Kinon?"

"I found something weird on this map. Check it out." She gave the map to Kittan and pointed at the strange feature. Kiyoh and Kiyal wandered over, and the Illustrious knelt down to look.

"I think that's a hot spring," said Kiyoh.

"You mean like those baths we had at Bachika Village, right?" Kiyal asked, turning to her older sister.

"More or less. I guess the beastmen need to keep clean like us humans as well," mused Kiyoh. She craned her head to address the looming Shingann. "Does this look like a hot spring to you, Kirei?"

Kirei adjusted his optical visors, zooming down to where Kinon had her finger placed on the map. He recognized the feature immediately as a location his guardian had often frequented.

Kirei had gradually come to understand that Kiyoh was not his guardian, despite the amazing similarities. The only features that marked the two apart were his guardian's cat-like ears and her furry black tail, which he remembered more clearly as he began to shrug off the effects of his artificially induced sleep. Other than those two features, Kiyoh Bachika was the spitting image of his guardian.

But that wasn't important. Kiyoh was kind, beautiful, and always understood him, despite the muteness caused by his injuries. Kiyal and Kinon often had to guess at his meaning, deciphering his expressions and body language only with difficulty, but for Kiyoh, it was as if she were psychic. For this and the tender care she showed him, he had vowed to protect her, and all his new family, no matter where they went. He still wanted to know the fate of his guardian, whether she was alive or dead, and why she had left him, but he knew in his heart that she wanted him to be happy.

And he was happiest with his new family.

The Illustrious nodded.

"Well, you guys can go find more beastmen to beat up, or whatever you wanna do" replied Kittan, walking back towards the hoverbike.

"You're not coming with us, big-brother?" Kiyal asked, surprised.

"We might meet Kamina and his group again!" Kinon reminded him.

"I'm well aware of that," Kittan replied, determination in his eyes. "But there's something I need to do first!" He climbed onto the bike.

"Do what big-brother?" asked Kiyoh.

"I'll meet you at that hot spring tomorrow!" yelled Kittan as he fired up the hoverbike. "Also, it's a surprise!" He roared off in a cloud of dust. The Illustrious turned towards Kiyoh, as if asking for permission to stop his new brother before he did something rash. Kiyoh shook her head and smiled up at the Shingann.

"Don't worry about Kittan," she assured him. "He'll be fine. He always comes back to us." Kirei nodded in understanding. Indicating for the girls to hold on, he set Illustrious running, Kinon sending him the directions via communicator.

It was late in the afternoon when the Siblings minus Kittan reached the mountain. All around it hovered a thick layer of fog, indicating a wet climate; a rarity in the East. Visibility was reduced to almost nil, and the hoverbarge became unusable due to all of the trees. Thus, the three sisters had opted to ride along on the Illustrious' shoulders, while the hoverbarge was strapped the mecha's back.

They strode along like this for a while, when the Illustrious suddenly came to a dead stop. Kiyoh leaned in towards the mecha' optical sensors.

"Why'd ya stop Kirei?"

Kirei averted his eyes, embarrassed by the view down, or rather up, Kiyoh's top. A quick tug of the controls made the Illustrious point straight ahead. The sisters looked, and saw an old man standing where the ganman was pointing.

The meeting proved fortuitous, for the old man was able to provide directions to the Hot Spring that was their destination. He seemed amused, almost excited by their request, to the point where the Siblings began to wonder just what sort of place it was.

They found out not long after their arrival, when they were greeted by an old woman, who was the proprietor, and her staff, a bevy of young women in bunny-girl outfits.

Having been shown to their rooms, a task complicated by Kirei's insistence on covering his eyes and tripping over the door frames, they changed into clean yukata, the girls bearing their clothes away to be laundered. The sisters then spent a few minutes reassuring Kirei that he didn't need to cover his eyes around the scantily-clad maids. This done, they made their way to the dining room, only to find it occupied.

Already seated at the table was a mishmash group of people. Seated at the head like a king was a tall, well-muscled, tattooed man with blue hair wearing nothing but a pair of nondescript dark pants fastened at his waist with a belt. Seated near him were a young man with similar blue hair, a blue jacket and a pair of goggles, and a well-endowed young woman with red hair who wore a bikini and a very short pair of shorts. Others seated at the table were a brown-haired kid in a brown cloak and a very large forehead, and two children, a rather loud boy with orange hair and a quiet girl with pink hair.

Kirei was about to have his first meeting with the Gurren Brigade.

"Kamina!" The three girls ran past the bunny-girl servants and grouped themselves around Kamina. He stammered a bit in surprise.

"Don't you remember us? We're the Black Siblings!" informed Kiyoh cheerfuly. They then draped themselves around him, Kiyoh in particular wrapping her arms around his shoulders, her assets squeezing against the back of his head. Kirei felt…some kind of negative emotion swell up in him. He forced it back down, however, and sat down next to the forehead-boy, who was staring with distrust at a strange fish with sharp teeth and alarmingly-colored scales.

"Friends of yours?" he asked, not looking up from the fish.

"Uh-huh" replied the boy with the goggles from across the table. His own gaze was locked on the girls' antics with Kamina.

Kirei, recognizing the breed of fish, took a knife and quickly sliced it into portions of meat, completely deboning it and removing the unappetizing parts in the process. The forehead boy turned and bowed to him.

"Thank you for your assistance."

Kirei smiled, giving the boy his 'no problem!' look. He then grabbed a plate and began filling it up with food. Meanwhile, two of the staff sidled up on cushions next to him. One had dark skin and purple hair, while the other had fair skin and short brown hair. He ignored them, even as they pressed themselves seductively against him, more interested in eating.

Then he suddenly felt as if someone was watching him. Mid-bite, he turned his head, and noticed that the man his sisters had named Kamina was watching him; not malevolently, necessarily, but…cautiously. Warily. Kirei wondered what he had done to deserve this kind of attention, but decided to ignore it. Kamina's look only deepened pensively.

Kirei looked away and focused his gaze on the redhead instead. She sipped her drink calmly, in an I'm-irritated-by-this-but-I'm-used-to-it-so-I'll-ignore-it kind of way. He marveled at her ability to control her frustration. He also thought the glass she was sipping from was strangely shaped.

Kiyoh was temporarily pushed away by her sisters. Deciding she'd had enough of trying to seduce Kamina for one day, she instead sat down next to the redhead, who was apparently an acquaintance by the name of Yoko.

"Huh? Yoko, I didn't know you had children this soon," Kiyoh quipped. Taken by surprise, Yoko spat out her drink, the contents landing on the boy with the large forehead, who sat across from her. The boy with the goggles kept on eating, while Kirei grabbed a napkin and wiped up the mess. The boy with the forehead muttered his thanks.

"So did you and Kamina…?"

Yoko only snorted in response, telling Kiyoh all she needed to know. Simon, who wore the goggles, finished his meat and moved on to the mashed potatoes. He happened to turn his head, noticing Kirei for the first time.

"Oh hey, who are you?" he asked the blue-haired youth amiably. His question drew the attention of most of the group, save the Siblings and the forehead boy.

"Yeah, who's the pipsqueak?" drawled Kamina, his manner somewhat detached, yet also pressing.

All eyes were on Kirei, who ignored Kamina and continued eating. Kamina himself stared down the silver-haired boy.

"Ah, his name is Kirei," said Kiyoh quickly. "He's our brother."

"Brother? When'd you get a new brother?" said Kamina disbelievingly.

"Well, actually we found him," explained Kiyal.

"In a beastman base," added Kinon.

"Is that so?" Kamina smiled with all his teeth. "Why won't he answer me?"

"He can't. See the scars on his neck?" Kiyoh pointed.

Kirei chewed angrily at his food. Kamina's attention was beginning to irritate him, especially now that his injuries had been brought up. Why couldn't the man leave him be? What was it that made him so…_irritating?_

"And how did he get those scars?" asked Kamina pressingly.

"He can't tell us. He's lost his memory, so we adopted him into our family."

Kamina snorted.

"It all sounds kind of fishy to me."

He stood and pointed down the table at the silver-haired boy.

"I don't know who you are or what you're up to, but you better not try anything funny!" He prodded his chest with his thumb. "I'm the Great Kamina, Slayer of Beastmen and Demon Leader of the Gurren Brigade! Even the sun itself fears my wrath! I can sniff out the scent of an enemy from a thousand miles away, and to me…"

He inhaled deeply with his nose, and let it out.

"_You smell like a beastman!"_

There was something that clicked in the silver haired teen's head the moment Kamina said those words. He saw a flash of red, an amused chuckle and a female moan, and the mantra of "I'm sorry" by a an incredibly distressed female…

And pain…

Lots and lots of pain…

Suddenly a knife flew past his head and embedded itself in the wall.

Kirei lowered the arm that had thrown the knife. He stood, ever calm, and turned to face the blue-haired man.

His red eyes burned in rage at the fact that Kamina could even _suggest_ that he would _ever_ hurt his siblings.

"Now calm down!" ordered Kiyoh to both men. "There's no need for this!"

Kamina found his sword and drew it. "He's just showing his true colors! I knew he reminded me of that Viral guy!"

Kirei growled, one of the few sounds that he could make, and found another knife.

This was now a matter of honor for him.

Nothing could stop them from clashing.

**Big thanks to 1 over 0 for second beta. Props to Juubi-K for 1****st**** beta.**

**As you can see, me and 1 over 0 have changed some things, such as having Kirei be a bit more jealous and Kamina having suspiscions that are in reasonable context(back then I was a Kaminahater, but my bashing spell has long since passed).**


	5. Calm Before The Storm Part 1

**I do not own Gurren Lagann or any material in the show/manga. Gainax does. Kirei Bachika and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me.**

_Hotsprings_

Silence had descended upon the dining room. All conversation had instantly been cut short, and now, all attention was focused upon the two young men who stood at opposite ends of the table, facing each other with battle in their eyes.

The bunny-maids had disappeared instantaneously. The rest of the guests wisely scooted back towards the wall, sensing the approaching storm.

Kirei slammed a foot down on the table, rattling all the dishes and sending a large carving knife twirling into the air. He snatched it as it reached the apex of its arc and held it in a reverse grip, the blade pointed towards Kamina.

"A Beastman's a Beastman's a Beastman," snarled Kamina, slowly settling into a combat stance with his katana. "I knew you couldn't be trusted. I can smell a Beastman from anywhere!"

Kirei didn't reply, but then again, he couldn't. Still, even if he'd been capable of it, he had no words to give to the blue-haired man. Something had triggered in his subconscious, and now he had only rage.

Kiyoh reeled at the sight of her kind and sweet new brother, who now radiated the aura of a battle-hardened warrior, every line of his body spelling violence. Sure, Kamina had been rude, but not _that_ rude. She couldn't understand what had set him off. She would have given anything at that moment just to have a hint, a clue, at what was going on inside his head.

She suddenly felt something; a hint, just that, of a pure and irrational fury. Even that hint threatened to overwhelm her, speaking of the torrents that were just waiting to be unleashed. Her vision blacked out for a moment, and when it came back, she stared with wide eyes at Kirei. It was impossible, but…

"Kirei!" she called out, standing up. "I know you're angry! But there's no reason to let it out here, with violence!" She gulped, hoping that her words would avoid any bloodshed.

"Kiyoh is correct," said Rossiu, backing her up. "Kirei, you have no need to respond to Kamina's insults with violence. And Kamina, your suspicions have no logical ground."

"No logical ground?" snorted their leader, slicing the air with his katana. "This little bastard threw a _knife_ at my head! Look at him, he wants to kill me! I say, let him try!" Kamina spat. "No Beastman is ever going to get the best of the Great Kamina!"

Kirei's teeth clenched together, and his mouth twisted into a snarl. Reason was slowly leaking out of his mind. What little sense held him back was slowly being erased under the might of his rage.

Kamina sneered. "Smell that?" he said again. "Smells like traitor to me! Smells like a stinking, rotten, dirty, mangy, flea-ridden Beastman!"

_You smell dirty…like a flea-ridded Beastman._

The silver-haired boy's eyes widened and his pupils dilated until his irises all but disappeared. All his rage condensed into a single ball, and printed on it was one simple thought.

"_DIE! YOU BITCH!"_

The words reverberated in Kiyoh's brain, and she nearly collapsed as the weight of them fell upon her mind, crushing it, suppressing her own thoughts.

"_You! __**BITCH!**__"_

Kirei charged Kamina, his knife flashing.

Team Gurren's leader was not to be taken lightly in close quarters, however, and he was ready, blocking Kirei's opening slash and catching the palm strike that he tried to follow up with. Tightening his grip around the boy's wrist, he roared and spun, tossing Kirei straight through the wall and out into the gardens beyond.

Calm as ice, he stepped out the newly made aperture, his feet settling into the soft grass beyond.

Kirei recovered quickly and charged again. This time he was smarter, feinting to Kamina's left before whirling around and jabbing at his ride side. The blue-haired man narrowly avoided being gutted by a pig, and replied with a quick slash, aiming to slice off Kirei's knife hand. Kirei was too fast, however, and disengaged, hopping backwards towards the center of the garden.

They circled each other then, Kamina striding along with his sword outstretched, Kirei crouched low to the ground. Their eyes were locked onto one another, and to them, the rest of the world had disappeared. All that was left was eliminating each other.

Fortunately, the rest of the world decided to intervene. There was the sound of a gunshot, and chips of rock exploded out from a nearby boulder. Both men whirled to the source of the shot, weapons up and ready for attack.

Yoko was standing in the hole in the wall, a pistol in her hand. It was still smoking. And she looked _pissed_.

"You goddamn imbecilic assheads!" she yelled, confirming that she was, indeed, pissed off. "We find the _one_ place to get a decent meal and a hot bath in the wasteland – the whole entire damn wasteland! – and you somehow think it's a good idea to _waste_ all that with your petty fighting?" She looked back and forth between them, her aim moving with her gaze. "Not if I have anything to say about it! You get an _inch_ closer to each other, and I'll make swords and knives the _least_ of your problems! _Do I make myself clear?_"

Kamina looked at her, and he seemed about to say something, to argue. Then he caught the look in the redhead's eyes, and he shrugged, letting his katana drop to his side.

"_Fine_. If you want to let this brat slit our throats in the night, then _fine_. Simon! Let's go. These idiots are giving me indigestion."

Simon began to obediently follow, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned, and looked up into Kiyal's face.

"Best to let him cool off," she advised quietly. "I've seen Bro – my Bro – get the same way. He'll calm down faster if he's alone."

Simon nodded, accepting this fact. He then looked back at Kirei, who was still standing outside.

He no longer looked like fighting. In fact, his shoulders sagged, and he looked…tired, if anything. Kiyoh had already run out to him, and was speaking to him quietly.

Kirei didn't reply, but he wanted to.

Yoko, on the other hand, showed no signs of calming down. She raged wordlessly at the mess and at the stupidity of her companions. Finally she stalked out, muttering something about taking a bath.

As she left, the owner of the hotsprings poked her head in.

"Is everything all right? I heard a crash and ooooooooh my!" Her hand went to her mouth as she took in the destruction.

She looked to the left and the right, her hands fluttering. "Oh dear! What happened?"

The guests all looked at each other, and a wordless decision was reached.

"Nothing at all, ma'am," was their chorused response.

_Northern Army Command Center. Everlast Peak._

General Guame the Steady was a patient beastman.

He knew not to be hasty and reckless, like Cytomander. He knew not to be ruled by his emotions, like Adiane. And he knew not to become too close to the soldiers, like Thymilph. The more intelligent Beastmen flocked to him, recognizing his cunning, his efficiency. He wasn't a friend, like Thymilph, but he was more likely to make every sacrifice count. He'd learned quite a few things in his millennium of service.

He sat in his special command center at Everlast Peak in the Northern Cascades, surrounded by a few anteater beastmen who manned the duty stations. He was waiting. This was part of a ritual he performed every week, without fail. Every week he would send out fifty patrols of Ganmen to scour the surface of any humans arrogant enough to plant their feet on its soil.

Guame did this because he was a man of standards. He had strict criteria he strove to uphold, and he expected his men to do the same. Among these was one that was currently very prominent among his thoughts.

_Never leave anyone behind._

Guame never abandoned his master in his hour of need, and never had the Spiral King abandoned him. This had become part of the moral code that defined his being.

"Watch Officer," he rumbled. "How many patrols have counted in?"

"Forty-eight patrols have reported back to base. Waiting on the last two," replied the anteater Beastman, rolling off the numbers from the screen in front of him. Guame nodded, and closed his eyes, sinking into a deep meditation. This was his way of relaxing and maintaining inner peace. His breathing slowed, and to the casual observer, he would appear to be asleep.

"Forty-ninth patrol has reported in, only fifteen minutes late," said the same officer. Guame continued in his meditation.

A half hour past. Then a quarter hour. His eyes snapped open as the final minute ticked by, marking an hour past the designated recall time.

"Where's number fifty?" he demanded, irritated.

"Getting a report from their home base now. Apparently, their tracking beacon shows them to be near the badlands, on the edge of General Thymilph's domain. Reports also indicate that they apparently haven't moved in…four days now, sir."

Guame narrowed his eyes. Celebration for the destruction of a human village was understandable. Lounging about and doing nothing was inexcusable. They would be court-marshaled severely.

"Radio them and tell them to return immediately."

"Yes, sir."

A couple minutes passed. Then: "They aren't responding, sir."

Ignoring orders, then. Perhaps a court-marshal was too lenient. _Firing squad_ might be a bit more persuasive.

Unless…

"I want a satellite image now."

The officer nodded and indicated to two of his subordinates, an elephant hybrid and a rhino hybrid, to bring up a satellite visual on the main screen. There were a couple moments in which the Beastmen worked to make their orders happen. Then the image came up on the screen.

The screen showed a satellite dish, a blown out mountainside, an _Enki_ spilt in half at the waist, the blasted remains of two _Ganzar H _Types, a Grunt ganmen split down the middle, and various piles of unidentifiable wreckage.

Guame's eyes narrowed.

"Is Thymilph so incompetent as to allow the human rebels to enter my territory without informing me?"

"But General," the hybrid spoke up. "According to the reports, the humans were fighting an elite scout four days ago, when this happened. That was deep in his territory. They couldn't have done this, not without some very good air transport. We may have another resistance group."

Guame took this in. It was possible, he supposed. Humans were like weeds, spreading out far and wide if not contained. Obviously, despite his popularity and fame, Thymilph was a lousy general after all. Another thought came to mind.

"What area is this in?"

"Sector 3A Delta, General."

Guame's eyes started to narrow.

_'That area...I heard rumors, but could it be...'_

"Have that last patrol go out and inspect that area. We will launch them there."

"But sir, they've been out for a week, shouldn't they rest?" protested the anteater officer.

"Tell them they'll get a raise and a day in the Beauty Village, my treat, if they scout the area. After that, summon the next duty shift." Guame shifted thoughtfully. "But before that, clear out. I have conferences to attend to."

"Understood." The beastmen carried out their orders, then cleared the chamber. Guame pushed a button and the entire room was plunged into darkness. The only light came from the platform below him, painting his face in stark shadows.

Another button was pressed, and a great black monolith appeared out of the darkness, engraved with these words:

**AUDIO ONLY**

**IMPERIAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS**

**PRONEIN**

"You called, General?" intoned the pillar.

"Yes. Pronein, I believe I may have a problem on my hands. Something that I may need your help to deal with."

"And what would that be?"

"Tell me Pronein, what do you know of the Keelle Revival Project?"

**Chapter 5 of my rewrite. Hope you all liked it.**


	6. Calm Before The Storm Part 2

**I do not own Gurren Lagann or any material in the show/manga. Gainax does. Kirei Bachika, Pronein, and ISO belong to me**

_Hotsprings_

* * *

Simon made his way towards the men's baths, garbed in a white yukata. Gimmy tagged along behind him. He really hoped that Kamina had cooled down: Yoko had warned him that he might not be. Still, he felt that it was necessary that they have a talk, brother to brother.

They entered the baths, and there was Kamina, standing in the middle of the steaming water, staring up at the sky with a thoughtful expression.

"Hey Bro. Uh…you seen Rossiu or Leeron?"

"Mm…nope," said Kamina vaguely, his attention clearly elsewhere.

Gimmy tossed off his yukata and jumped into the water. Simon slipped in as well, submerging himself until only his head was above the water. He sighed

"Hey Bro, doesn't this feel great?"

"Mmhm," said Kamina absently. Simon was perplexed by his behavior. It wasn't like Kamina to do this much thinking. He drew up his courage and decided to address the issue directly.

"Hey, uh, can I ask something? What happened with that silver-haired kid earlier?"

Kamina turned and finally looked at him. "What, you mean metalhead?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Hm…" mused Kamina. "I thought I explained it all already. He's like a Beastman, Simon. That attitude, and the wild fury in his eyes…reminds me of that Viral guy."

"I dunno…I just don't see it."

"You didn't get a good look in his eyes! He's got that same bloodlust. And his fighting style is similar, too."

"You actually noticed his fighting style?" Simon was confused. He didn't know that Kamina actually paid attention to his enemies.

"Of course! What, you think I fight with my eyes closed? Fur-face and I got a couple cuts each courtesy of each other, and let me tell you, Metalhead had the same stance and everything!

"So you're saying he's a spy for the beastmen?"

"Exactly! And I don't care what the others say, he's suspicious."

"Are you sure? You're not just jealous?"

"Who the hell do you think I am?" shouted Kamina, slamming a fist into a nearby rock. "Do you honestly think the Great Kamina would succumb to something so petty? No, there's something…_wrong_ about that guy! He isn't natural! Now if he'd proclaimed his intentions like a real man, then maybe I'd trust him! But he just sits there quietly, staring at everyone and everything with that weird look!"

"And that makes him a spy?"

"It's a _feeling_, Simon. Call it a man's intuition. That guy's had some business with the beastmen."

Simon sighed and decided to accept Kamina's pseudo-logic, just this once. "So why did you call him out?"

"Do you honestly think the Great Kamina will sit by and let a spy do his…spying, threatening everyone? The day that happens, the moon will grow a face and fall on us!"

"So you tried to flush him out."

"And then he sent a _knife_ at my head. If I needed any proof, now I've got it. He tried to kill me. He'll try it again. Believe you me, I'm gonna be keeping one eye open at night from now on."

"I guess…hey Bro?"

"Yeah?"

"What if he's not a spy?"

"Then I'll apologize," asserted Kamina with certainty arms crossed. "Even the Great Kamina can be wrong sometimes. So if I'm wrong, I'll tell him, and say I'm sorry." He grinned at Simon. "How's that sound?"

The digger nodded. "Sounds good, Bro."

"Metalhead," giggled Gimmy to himself. Simon then took some time to think, Kamina just staring out to the horizon and Gimmy playing in the water.

There was some validity to Kamina's claim. Viral did look rather intimidating, with slitted narrow eyes, beast-like claws and those sharp teeth. Although what only made Kirei frightening was his eyes and the way he carried himself not only when Kamina called him out, but also when Kiyoh was socializing with Kamina.

He did admit that maybe Kamina may have went a bit too far, although Kirei was guilty as well for taking his bait and even trying to kill him. Could he really be a spy? But he looked human and all...

Still, more questions for the digger as he slunked further into the spring. What is Kirei Bachika? Where did he come from? How did the Black Siblings adopt him in?

He heard the chuckling of the girls and he stood up a little and looked around. Was there the girl's spring nearby? He placed his ear up against a nearby tall wall and listened in.

* * *

The Bachika sisters entered the hotsprings, followed closely by Darry. As one they slipped into the hot water. Darry placed her stuffed animal on a nearby rock, then followed suit.

In one of the corners of the pool sat a very irritated Yoko. She was down in the water up to her eyes, and Kiyoh could swear that there was more steam coming from that end. Understandably concerned, the eldest sister waded over to her redheaded companion and settled down next to her.

"Nothing better than a good bath to ease the body and mind, huh?" said the blonde lightly.

Yoko responded with a disgruntled bubbling.

"I gather that you're still angry."

More bubbles.

"For Kamina to accuse Kirei like that? It was uncalled for." Kinon adjusted her glasses. "No matter what his suspicions, he had no right provoking a fight like that."

"That's right. He was rude!" added Kiyal, nodding all-knowingly.

"He's a bonehead, all right," said Yoko finally, rising above the water until she could speak. "Hell, half the time I wonder whether he has a brain at all. But what the hell happened to your brother? He just…snapped."

"We don't know," said Kiyal. "And he can't tell us…you've seen his scars, right?"

Yoko nodded understandingly. They looked like he'd been savaged by some kind of wild animal.

"I think maybe," said Kiyoh softly, "that I might have an idea."

"What?" asked Yoko, intrigued.

"Just after Kirei threw that knife, and before he attacked again, I heard a…a voice." She looked around at her fellow females. "And it was angry. _Very_ angry."

"What did it say?"

"Only two things. There was 'Die' and then there was 'You-'" She cut herself off short upon realizing that Darry was there, but the others got the gist of it.

"You think it was him?" inquired Kiyal.

Kiyoh nodded.

"Hearing thoughts? That's ridiculous." Yoko scoffed at the idea, but then seemed to reconsider. "Then again, I thought the same thing when Kamina said he'd hijack a Ganman…"

"So we managed to pick up a really cute boy, who happens to be psychic _and_ pilots a super-powerful Ganman! _And_ we got our first real bath in months! Our luck is really good this week!" Kiyal grinned toothily. "Maybe next, I'll get a Ganman of my own!"

"Don't count on it," advised Yoko. "But that brings something up. How did you meet up with Kirei, anyway?"

"We were investigating a Beastman base up north," informed Kiyoh. "I wandered into this strange room with a glowing tube in the center. Floating in it was a boy, and…well actually I panicked a bit because I thought he was drowning. But then I freed him, and he decided to come along with us."

"This…didn't occur to you as strange? At all?"

Kiyoh gave Yoko a hard stare. "What are you implying?"

"Calm down," replied the sniper, throwing up her hands with a splash of water. "I'm not like Kamina, jumping to conclusions. I'm just curious."

"He seemed like a good guy. And he saved our lives, too."

"Yep!" added in Kiyal. "With the _Illustrious Kazenami!_ Not that he's told us the name of it, of course, but Kittan said that that's what the words on it say."

Kiyoh proceeded to go into detail about the fight between the Kazanami and the squad of enemy Ganmen. Yoko paid close attention: info on new Ganman types was important, given that they might be fighting them sometime in the new future. She intentionally included the _Illustrious_ in that category; much as she claimed otherwise, she secretly still didn't trust Kirei.

And then she heard Kamina blabbering on about "reaching for the moon" or something from the other side of the wall. There was some quality of his voice that was…distracting, and much as she tried to tune it out it kept intruding into her thoughts.

"Well _somebody_ doesn't seem very interested," noted Kiyal dryly.

"Oh…sorry. I heard most of it. So his Ganman is pretty powerful, huh? Like _Gurren Lagann_?"

"No, it's not a Ganman! It has two faces."

"_Gurren Lagann_ has two faces," pointed out Kinon. "And it's still a Ganman."

"Oops…yeah, shoulda thought about that first…"

The others continued chitchatting about meaningless, flighty things. Yoko quickly lost interest and fell to musing on the events at dinner. Kamina had about as much tact a raging Ganman, but his suspicions hadn't been unfounded. And Kirei really did fight like Viral… She resolved to keep a closer eye on the silver-haired boy, although she wouldn't call him out in public the way Kamina had.

* * *

Kirei walked into the hotsprings. For some reason there were three hotsprings, which made little sense to him but at least it let him avoid another confrontation. He was still reeling from the events earlier. Everything was one angry blur…

He tried to shake it off, and instead nodded towards his fellow bathers. Rossiu and Leeron were the other occupants of the hotspring, and they nodded back. Satisfied with their response, Kirei slipped into the hot water.

"And so our newest friend joins us!" said the mechanic happily. "Now how exactly did you manage to worm your way into that particularly pretty nest? You definitely weren't there the last time I saw them."

Kirei looked at him blankly.

"Oh, _where _are my manners? My name is Leeron, but friends call me Ron. But _you,_" he oiled coquettishly, "could call me Beautiful Queen if you like."

The young man looked extremely uncomfortable. He shifted away and began mentally cataloguing his escape routes. The mechanic laughed.

"I love seeing their reactions. It gets me every time." Leeron sank further into the water, and Kirei relaxed a little. He thought for a moment that he wasn't actually sure of the mechanic's gender.

He decided that, on reflection, he didn't want to know.

"Something wrong hon? You aren't talking? It's rude to not answer one's introduction with your own you know." Leeron winked at Kirei, prompting another bout of uncomfortable shifting. Rossiu turned to him and scowled.

"Leeron, please show some respect. Even you must have noticed by now."

Kirei looked towards the boy, so calm and observant, at odds with Kamina's brash arrogance. Meanwhile Leeron tutted remorsefully.

"So very unfortunate," he cooed. "And I bet you had such a beautiful voice…"

"It's a miracle that he even survived," commented Rossiu thoughtfully. "I wonder what it must have been like."

Kirei tried to explain how LPL had healed his wounds. It didn't quite work, especially since he wasn't quite sure himself how it worked: his memory was still very fuzzy in many places. He tried anyways, and by the end the other two bathers had at least a vague sense of what he was trying to communicate.

"Well either way, let me say it's _very_ much a pleasure to meet you. Emphasis on _pleasure_." He chuckled again as Kirei backed away across the pool. "Let's let bygones be bygones, hm? Whatever happened between you two, Kamina isn't here now."

"My name is Rossiu Adai. Pleased to meet you." Rossiu offered his hand. Kirei took it. Now the three were introduced to each other, and he was able to relax – well, almost relax. Leeron was still around, after all.

So he sank into the water until only his nose and eyes were above. His gaze lazily wandered about…until he noticed a small hole in the wall. He looked away from it immediately, knowing full well that the women's baths were on the other side.

But not fast enough. Rossiu noticed, and clapped his hands together cheerfully.

"Oh, how wonderful!" he exclaimed. "A perfect opportunity! Go ahead, let's see what there is to see!"

Kirei shook his head. Rossiu leaned over and whispered, "I'd do it if I were you. Unless you want him to get…personal."

He was still reluctant, but the threat of close contact with Leeron scared him into action. He waded over to the wall…but, instead of peeking through, he placed his ear against the hole. This seemed to mollify Leeron at least, and so he closed his eyes and listened.

* * *

"So what are your thoughts on Kamina?"

Yoko was too deep in her thoughts to notice the question initially. Then Kiyoh leaned over and snapped her fingers in the sniper's face.

"Yoko? You in there?"

The redhead jumped. Now alert, she gave an irritated look to Kiyoh.

"I just wanted to know what you thought of Kamina."

Yoko's irritation drained away, mostly because that was exactly what she'd been thinking about. Problem was, the reason she'd been thinking about it in the first place was that she had no idea what she thought about him.

"Well…" she said slowly. "He's a nice enough guy, I guess. Once you get past the ego, and the arrogance, and the blind stupidity…he's really just trying to make something _better_, you know? And no matter how stupid he is, you've got to admit that he's got determination."

"_And_ he's got a damn good body!" insisted Kiyal cheerfully.

"Shush, you," scolded Kiyoh, bonking her sister on the head. "There's more than that to a guy."

Kiyal sulked and muttered to herself, "Sure, and I bet that's why you're always staring at Kirei…"

"So those are my thoughts on Kamina," said Yoko with finality.

"And what about Simon?"

Everyone turned to look at Kinon. She adjusted her glasses, which were fogging up considerably.

"Just asking…"

"Well then," said Yoko thoughtfully. "Simon, huh? I'd have to think about that…"

"Don't think," advised Kiyoh. "Just tell us what comes to mind."

"Um…" She seemed a bit unsure. "Simon…

"I think he's a good kid, with a big heart. And one of the bravest guys I've ever seen…he's really quiet and seems kind of shy, but when push comes to shove he's the one I'd count on."

"And he's really cute, too!" added Kiyal.

The sniper smiled. "Yeah, I'll admit it. He's pretty cute, too. Give him a year or two, he may give Kamina a run for his money!"

* * *

Simon was blushing very hard as he pressed his ear to the tiny hole. He felt bad about eavesdropping, and yet he still couldn't bear to tear himself away. To have Yoko talk about him like that…it sent a warm and fuzzy feeling into his heart, where it sat and glowed happily.

Then there was a peculiar rushing sound, and suddenly, silence. He frowned, perplexed. So he turned and placed his eye at the hole.

Immediately he whirled around and yelled to Kamina:

"Bro! The girls have gone missing!"

* * *

"The Keelle Revival Project, General?" intoned the monolith labeled PRONEIN. "I must confess that I have no idea what you are talking about."

"I expected as much," Guame rumbled. "Despite all the power and resources at your control, this is far beyond your reach. The Project was begun long before your creation; around the Empire's birth, in fact. It is one of the few secrets you have not been deemed worthy of knowing."

"So does this Project have anything to do with your destroyed patrol unit?" asked Pronein.

"Impressive. You are certainly well informed."

"ISO is everywhere," declared the monolith with a touch of pride. "We are in the streets, the Capital, the tundra, the grasslands, the desert, the earth, the sea, the air. Nothing happens without ISO's knowing."

_'Cocky bastard'_, scoffed Guame mentally before continuing. "I'm well aware of ISO's reach. But I have one request to make of you. Do not reveal what you are about to hear to the Spiral King."

"Why would I not tell the Spiral King?"

"Because if you do, he will devote every single one of his resources to get what I am asking you to retrieve, when I would rather have the job done _subtly, without his knowing_." Guame's tone was insistent.

"I believe I understand your request. What will ISO be retrieving?"

"You will be searching for an extremely powerful ganmen, known as a _Shingann_, and its pilot."

"The pilot as well? Would it not be more effective to kill him?"

"If you were to kill the pilot, you would be destroying one of the most potent resources to the Empire."

And so Guame explained about the Fifth Survivor.

The Keelle Revival Project had been created by Lord Genome when he first established his Empire, for the sole purpose of reviving a certain person. Of this person, Lordgenome had only a single intact DNA sample. This he used as a template, retro-engineering sperm which could be injected into the wombs of human women.

The women were generally taken from Guame's own Beauty Village, or kidnapped form the underground villages. The girls were brought to the Capital and treated like queens, so that they may grow healthy. After all, the Spiral King's only interest in them was biological, and he had to ensure that the relevant organs would function correctly.

Once they were deemed ready, they were impregnated with the sperm. Thus began a very long and very painful twenty-seven month pregnancy, culminating in the birth of a child the size of a five-year-old.

It goes without saying that fatalities were common, among both the women and the children. Over the last millennia, and over a hundred women, only five children surived.

Their purpose served, the women became useless to Lordgenome. The majority he had banished to the wasteland, to die from thirst or Beastman patrols. A select few he took pity on, to become his courtesans, until their beauty wasted away and they, too, were fed to the wasteland.

So the five were taken as Lordgenome's children, and raised by him in his court. However, all was not well among them; the First Survivor died horribly in an accident, and the Fifth had mysteriously disappeared. Now that he had revealed himself again, Guame had every intention of taking the opportunity to retrieve him and present him to the Spiral King, thus gaining the king's favour.

"…Very well, then," said the monolith slowly. "I will send a strike team to dispose of this Survivor's companions, and ensure that he returns to you…unspoiled."

"Good. You are dismissed, Pronein." Guame closed his eyes. "You are dismissed."

"General." The Monolith disappeared, and light returned to the command center. Guame waited a moment for his eyes to adjust, and then slowly made his way to his quarters.

After all, a night with a few Beauty-girls of his choosing could make any Beastman's day fruitful. And after that, he would settle for a nice long sleep.

* * *

**And that's the rwritten chapter. Took out some parts, added in some. Thanks to 1 over 0 with helping! Give the guy a hand!**


	7. Thundercrash

**I do not own Gurren Lagann or any material in the show/manga. Gainax does. Kirei Bachika, ISO and its members, and the Illustrious Kazenami belong to me**

**Chapter 7**

* * *

"That was Simon just now, wasn't it?" uttered Rossiu in surprise.

"Maybe the girls finished and went to bed," commented Leeron.

Kirei was a bit worried. One moment, Kiyoh and the girls were gossiping, the next moment silence. If they were going to head out, they would have said something at the very least, and it was very quiet on the girl's side as well. He looked at Rossiu with a concerned look. Rossiu understood immediately.

"You're right," he said. "A hot spring in the middle of nowhere, staffed by humans…this is all very suspicious."

"Well, if you're _that_ worried I'll get dressed and meet you at the ganmen," proposed Leeron. "How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan." He gestured towards the mute Bachika. "In the meantime, let's do some investigating." Kirei nodded.

"Righty then! Try to remember where we're parked, okay boys~?" Leeron stood to leave. Both Kirei and Rossiu averted their gazes.

Then a kind of rushing…and…

"Where did the girls go!" yelled out Kamina's voice.

…and the entire structure of the bathhouse changed.

The two young men were thrown into the air by the violent motion, and slammed back down on to the ground, hard. They looked back up and saw the indistinct shape of a giant arm moving about.

Something changed in Kirei. The _look_ had returned to his eyes: the look he'd had when he'd attacked Kamina. He flipped to his feet and sprinted off towards the exit.

"Wait! Kirei!" called out Rossiu. His words went completely unheeded, and he was left alone in the empty hot spring.

"Suspicious indeed…" he muttered sourly.

Then the ground jumped again, and this time he was tossed right over the wall and out into the forest, which, for some reason, was now several metres below him.

Kirei ran. The ground jolted beneath him, but he hardly even noticed. He just kept sprinting down the hallway, intent on his goal.

Down the hall, three of the male attendants turned a corner. Upon seeing him they yelled and _shifted_, metamorphosing into an unholy combination of man and feral cat.

The first one flew at Kirei, clawed hands extended. The mute ducked underneath his assailant and put his fist squarely between the second beastman's eyes, followed by a throw that sent the raging cat-beastman sailing down the hallway.

The last attacker had a knife. Without hesitation Kirei caught the knife hand and twisted in three easy movements, dislocating the shoulder, popping the elbow, and snapping the wrist, all in the space of under a second. The beastman howled in pain and dropped the knife. Eyes narrowed, Kirei caught the blade and with it opened a gaping hole in his opponent's neck. Blood fountained from the severed jugular.

The other two were too stupid to run, and came back around for a second attempt. Kirei wasted no time in throwing his knife, which sank into the chest of the more distant of the two, right between the third and fourth ribs. Then he dashed past the remaining attacker, and grabbed the knife from the falling corpse. A kick sent the poor bastard sprawling on the floor.

Kirei jumped onto his back, knees placed on the shoulders, and drove his blade into the small groove where the spine meets the skull.

He stood. Blood was splattered in large splotches on his face and chest. He paid no heed to it, however. For some reason, the feeling felt…familiar.

Later he would worry about it. At the moment, his concerns were threefold, and all four of them were female and probably in danger. He sprinted off again, just as another jolt rocked the bathhouse's structure.

"The hotspring was a ganman?" yelled Kamina at the sight of the giant mechanical arm.

There was a _plop_ sound, followed by loud rushing. The water in the hotspring was being drained towards the centre of the pool, as if someone had pulled a giant plug. Kamina, Simon and Gimmy tried to fight it, but they were powerless against the water's pull.

Moments later they hit the ground in a stream of hot water. The bathhouse ganman loomed behind them, vaguely pot-shaped, shadowed sinisterly by the moonlight.

Atop it perched the figure of the proprietress. The moon shone behind her, and she _shifted_. The yellow eyes and toothy grin of a fox leered down at the humans below.

"Hunting time! Run, my little prey!"

Kamina and Simon needed no encouragement. They sprinted away as fast as their legs could carry them, Gimmy bobbing along on Kamina's shoulders.

"Dammit, aren't you beastmen?" yelled Kamina indignantly. "I thought that hunting at night was against the rules!"

"Oh, isn't it just sad that _I don't give a damn!_ Welcome to Life!" The hulking mecha began lumbering forward.

"But Leeron said that your engines don't work at night!" yelled Simon.

"Oh, those pathetic solar engines?" The fox-beastwoman spat. "Weak! Behold the true power of a geothermal engine!"

"Geosolar or thermal or whatever, you're still no match for us!" retorted Kamina. "A ganman's power comes from a man's soul, not some big, fancy word!"

"Bro, save your breath!" suggested Simon as a massive foot thudded down just behind him.

Fortunately the ganmen were parked close by. _Gurren_ and _Lagann_ stood ready for them, next to a waving Leeron.

"Over here!" called the mechanic. "They're ready to be used at a moment's notice!"

Simon jumped on Leeron's head and used it as a springboard to reach his machine, while Kamina dropped Gimmy into his arms with a quick "Thank-you!" Team Gurren's leader jumped towards his mecha, yelling "Let's combine!"

He fell to the ground, hard. Immediately he flipped to his feet and looked about furiously for his missing ganman.

"Bro, look!" Simon exclaimed. Kamina followed his pointing finger and saw a posse of white rabiit-ganmen carrying _Gurren_ away into the forest.

"Damn! Thieving bastards!"

Rossiu was limping through the forest, ragged, dirty, held up only by a stick he had grabbed to accommodate his injuries.

"Man that was horrible," he said to himself. "The whole bathhouse started to shake. I wonder where all the others disappeared to. How did we end up in this predica…"

He was interrupted by a growing rumbling, and then was suddenly swept up by a mass of pale forms. He found himself riding on top of a large red mecha, which was itself being carried by a swarm of rabbit-esque ganmen.

"Wait, this is _Gurren_!" he yelled in recognition.

The cockpit was open. An idea formed…

Lagann sprinted through the forest, carrying Kamina, Leeron, Gimmy and Simon. Behind them, the bathhouse ganman was in hot pursuit.

Simon wiggled around inside the mass of bodies until he could look behind at their pursuers. With shock, he noted a large hologram projected above the hulking mass of the ganman.

"Bro! They're holding the girls hostage! What are we going to do?"

"Get us close and latch on to its face!" Kamina yelled.

Up above, Yoko was positively _fuming_. One eye was twitching feverishly, and a vein stood out prominently on her temple.

"How dare you take delicious food and a hot bath, the only two pleasures in a girl's life and turn them into a trap! Even if Heaven itself forgives you, rest assured I won't!"

The other girls stepped away worriedly. Yoko, meanwhile, stuck a hand in her hair and pulled out a handgun.

The hothouse ganman struck at Lagann. Simon pumped the controls, and the mini-mecha took a flying leap towards its face. In turn, Kamina leapt off of Lagann, landing on the giant's face. He struggled until he found a hatch, which was suddenly opened by the old man. He slithered inside, Boota still clinging to his crotch.

At the same time, Yoko decided to let loose with her gun. She fired upwards, breaking the chain holding the cage up. It crashed into the floor, the poorly-made bars popping right out of their casings.

She nodded to the other girls, and they snatched up the broken pieces of metal, brandishing them as improvised weapons.

Kirei was still making his way through the giant ganman in his desperate search for the girls. He met more Beastmen, some amphibious, some rabbit-girls. To a man they assaulted him on sight. To a man, they died just as quickly.

Passing by a viewport, he saw Lagann sprinting away on the ground outside. Gears clicked in his head. He realized that if he wanted to help, he had to get to his ganman.

His black core drill glowed, and a few kilometers away the Illustrious' eyes glowed in tandem.

One beastman was smart enough to bring an SMG to take down Kirei. Unfortunately, he wasn't smart enough to avoid the knife that flew straight between his eyes. Kirei rushed forward, grabbed the SMG and knife, and laid waste to the remaining Beastmen with short bursts of fire.

He sensed someone behind him, and whirled around to face a purple-haired bunny-girl. She stared at him with a look of abject terror.

He switched the SMG to single-fire mode and, without a thought, put a bullet between her eyes.

The girls charged down the hall, swinging their improvised metal bats at anything that wasn't human. Yoko punched and kicked at enemy beastmen and blasted them with her handgun from point-blank.

She came face-to-face with a brown-haired bunny-girl. She levelled her pistol and pulled the trigger.

_Click_.

The bunny girl's face turned from horror to sadistic glee as she realized what was going on. She brought her claws up to strike. But Yoko swung the gun hard, pistol-whipping the bunny-girl and knocking her down.

At the same time, Kamina was carving his own path through the beastman hordes. He fought off amphibious beastmen with the old man clinging to his back.

"Back off, toadies!" he yelled, kicking and punching the frogmen with wild abandon.

There was a series of gunshots, and the beastmen dropped like flies. He turned, assuming the source of the gunfire to be Yoko.

"Oh, Yoko! There you-"

Kirei stared at him blankly from beneath red-tinted bangs. He lowered his SMG, and in his other hand he idly twirled his red-coated knife.

"Hey, Pretty Boy, what are you doing here?" demanded Kamina, his tone belying his unease. He glared angrily at the weapons.

"Pretty quick to arm yourself, huh?" he remarked sharply. "Don't you dare try anything, or the Great Kamina will see to it that you'll never try anything ever again!"

Kirei levelled his gun.

"Shit!" Kamina ducked. A bullet whizzed by over his head.

"Showing your true colours, aren't you?" he yelled triumphantly. "Well bring it on! The Great Kamina isn't afraid of some puny-"

There was a thud behind him. He twisted around and saw the fallen corpse of a machete-wielding beastman bleeding out on to the floor.

"…Huh."

Kirei rolled his eyes and turned back down the corridor.

"Hey, wait up! So maybe you haven't betrayed us _yet_, but you still ain't off the hook!"

At that moment, Yoko and the girls came careening down the corridor.

"Don't worry, girls!" yelled Kamina, speeding up and passing Kirei. "I'm here to save you all!"

Yoko didn't seem to care. She intercepted him with a well-aimed fist between the eyes.

Kirei watched in mild amusement as the blue-haired man sailed overhead.

Kamina squirmed on the floor for a bit before jumping back to his feet, enraged.

"What the hell was that for!" he yelled.

"You're late!" shot back Yoko. "Also, I just felt like it. You've been a bit of a dick lately."

"Gah, stupid woman…I think you broke something…" Kamina clutched at his bleeding nose. "Couldn't you have saved it for later?"

Of course, at that point he was being ignored, because the women had suddenly taken notice of the very nearly naked Kirei. Granted, they were _all_ very nearly naked, but Kirei looked like he'd just gotten out of the shower, set the shower to "bloodbath", and stepped right back in. Oh, and somewhere along the way he'd managed to cut himself on a razor in a way that only served to make him more attractive.

"Gotta admire a guy who can make 'bloodthirsty killer' look good," commented Kiyal, completely unnoticed by everyone.

Kirei appeared to be embarrassed by the girls' scantily-clad appearances. Ironic, since he'd been tearing apart scantily-clad bunnygirls for the past ten minutes.

_Well, at least they're all right. I can see _that_ for sure._

Kiyoh felt a strange feeling of intense relief. She hugged Kirei tight, unmindful of the blood all over him.

"We're all okay, Kirei. Now let's get out of here."

Unfortunately, blood tends to get sticky as it dries – that's how you get scabs. This made extricating themselves rather tricky, as Kirei was literally covered with the stuff, causing them to stick together in unfortunate locations. By the time they had managed to come apart, Kamina had fashioned himself a bandage out of beastman clothing and was looking around like he was in charge again.

"You know, if we're done with hugging potential spies," he snarked nasally, "I think we should move on now."

At that point, there was a large explosion.

"What the hell was that?" yelled the she-wolf-beastwoman. A screen flickered to life, showing a frog-beastman.

"It's some kind of ganman, and it's AAARGH!" There was a crashing, and images flashed and swirled on the screen; among them, the image of a dark silhouette with great pauldrons. The screen flashed off.

The wall exploded inwards. The ragtag bunch of warriors dove for cover, then immediately sprang back up, ready to counterattack.

They stared into the face of the _Illustrious Kazenami_, its eyes glowing dark green. Around Kirei's neck, a black core drill pulsed in response.

"Hey hey hey! Is this yours, then?" Kamina stood in front of the behemoth and put his fists on his hips, grinning maniacally and looking the mecha up and down. "Not too shabby!"

Kirei grunted, which was pretty much the best he could do.

"This is good! I'm likin' this! Mind you it's still damn suspicious, but hey, I'm not gonna complain if I can start building my own little army of ganmen!"

Kittan sneezed, and the recently-stolen _King Kittan_ jerked wildly, nearly falling on its face.

"Damn allergies."

Kirei did a running leap and landed in the _Illustrious_' throat-cockpit. He punched his drill into the ignition and looked up.

Six other bodies slammed into him. The cockpit bulged outwards, making the mecha look like it had swallowed something too large for its throat.

"Ow, someone kicked me!" protested Kiyal.

"That was me, sorry!" replied Kinon.

"My nose is killing me!" whined Kamina.

"Quit being a baby!" Yoko snapped back.

"Whose hand is that on my butt?" Kiyoh demanded.

"Watch it, guys!" joked Kiyal playfully. "At this rate you'll give somebody a nosebleed!"

"My nose is already bleeding!" protested Kamina.

Kirei hoped that the blood already on him would mask any additional blood his nose may or may not have been producing.

Darry giggled.

Then the cramped space suddenly tilted wildly as the ganman was swatted to the ground.

"Damn human bastards!" blared the she-wolf's voice from the bathhouse ganman.

"Awright then~!" exclaimed Kamina. "Let's go, Pretty Boy! If you're really on our side you'll take me to _Gurren_, and we'll deal with this sucker pronto!"

Kirei nodded his assent. Unfortunately, this had the effect of making his hair rub against certain of Kiyoh's more sensitive parts.

"Oh, that tickles!"

A quick clockwise turn of his drill, and the _Illustrious_ was back under his control. He brought it to its feet and began sprinting off after Lagann.

"Hey, who's piloting that?" A small side screen lit up, showing Simon's face. He took in the mass of bodies, swallowed, and tried to concentrate on the small part of the screen that showed Kamina's face. "Bro, what are you doing there?"

"Simon! Follow us to the _Gurren_!" yelled the Gurren Brigade's mighty leader, the words coming out muffled due to his face being mashed against the wall. Behind him, Kiyal giggled uncontrollably.

"Uh…okay! Is everyone alright?"

"We're fine!" yelled Yoko. "Just hurry up and combine with _Gurren_!"

"Slight problem there…"

At that moment the Gurren came crashing out of the woods, trailed by a posse of tiny rabbit ganmen,

"Here's _Gurren_, guys!" The cockpit opened, revealing Rossiu. "It's just like Kamina said! Fighting spirit!"

"Thanks a ton, forehead boy!" Kamina yelled back. "Kirei open the hatch!"

Kirei nodded, the movement shifting the chaotic mass and causing Kiyoh to giggle again. The cockpit slid open and Kamina promptly fell out, followed closely by Kiyal, Kinon, and Yoko. Kamina managed to land in the _Gurren_'s open cockpit, sitting right on Rossiu's lap. This made the young man more than a little uncomfortable.

"Should I get out?"

"No there's no time!"

_Lagann_ combined with _Gurren_, and _Gurren Lagann_ took its place next to the _Illustrious_.

"Hey Pretty Boy, let's see how good you are with that ganman of yours!" yelled Kamina.

Kiyoh wriggled around until she was behind Kirei. She then put her hands on the controls on top of his, and gave him a supportive smile. He nodded back.

The two great arms of the bathhouse ganman crashed down on the duo…but they were no longer there.

"Huh? Where'd they…"

Moonlight gleamed off of metal flying through the air. The bathhouse's owner looked up, and had a sudden flash of horrified comprehension.

"TAKE THIS, YOU FUR-FACED BITCH! MAN'S… EXPLOSIVE…!"

The two ganmen spun in the air.

"THUNDER DOUBLE!"

And then they were falling, one leg extended each, back to back. A fiery green nimbus sprung up around them as they ripped through the air.

"KIIIIIIIIIICCCKKK!"

They all screamed it, even Kirei, who added his mental voice to the triumphant exaltation. Then, with a thunderous crash, they came down upon the rounded hulk of the bathhouse ganman. Its side caved in and its legs collapsed, driven into the ground by the force of impact. Dirt and dust flew up, launched by the explosive force of their kick, and a dismembered arm spun into the air.

When the dust settled, the two ganmen stood victorious over the ruined bulk of their enemy.

"Not too shabby," admitted Kamina with a grudging smile.

"We won! We won!" yelled out Yoko, jumping happily. Her breasts bounced with her.

And then, she went one leap too many, and the towel she had been using as an impromptu bra came unbound.

Three things happened at this time.

The sun rose behind the redhead like an aura of divine glory, giving her figure a golden aura of beauty.

Kirei flushed red with embarrassment, while Kiyoh facepalmed with a groan.

And Kamina and Simon emerged from their respective cockpit to gaze in wonder upon the glorious sight before them.

"Good morning sunshine," whispered Kamina in awe.

Yoko was already gearing up for another beating when she was interrupted by a whine from the horizon. She looked around, squinting, and spotted a speck of light in the distance. It grew larger…and larger…

It slammed down next to Leeron, Gimmy and the other two Black Siblings. The girls' impromptu garments were blown right off.

The dust did not settle, but was whipped away by the grey tornado at the center of the impact crater. Kamina tensed, and only became more tense when it stopped, revealing a pale white ganman bearing two katana and a bladed crest. Atop its shoulder stood a man with blonde hair and a reddish-brown uniform.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? You naked apes!"

* * *

There was nothing but darkness in the room. A small spotlight in the center was the only source of light. Suddenly, ten monoliths appeared, embossed with the words:

**AUDIO ONLY**

**IMPERIAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS**

Below these, each monolith was engraved with a name.

**NULLEUS**

**MEMEINS**

**ENDOZWEI**

**CLORADREI**

**FLAGVIER**

**RIBOFUNF**

**VESECHS**

**MITOSEIBEN**

**CILIACHT**

**PRONEIN**

"Well, well, well. It's a pleasure to see you all again," said Mitoseiben in a voice both oily and deceptive.

"Indeed. It has been over fifty years since the ISO has had to meet like this," came a seductive female voice form the monolith labelled Ciliacht.

"Perhaps Ribofunf has rendered the humans extinct?" Flagvier was haughty and arrogant.

"It's the Generals," suggested Vesechs. "They've grown complacent and incompetent, with the possible exception of Guame. The Spiral King needs us to dispose of them."

"It is neither, ladies and gentlemen," said the young and professional Pronein. "Guame the Steady has given us a mission that I have chosen to accept. It will prove beneficial for our goals."

"Pronein has consulted me, and I agree with his assessment." Nulleus' age and experience silenced all dissent before it could begin.

"Thank you," said Pronein. Then his voice dropped solemnly. "Now. Let the first meeting of the Imperial Special Operations Mechanical Eradication Regiment commence."

"Our topic: the Fifth Survivor, the Custom Specialized Shingann Illustrious Kazenami, and the human resistance with which it has allied itself with."

* * *

**Here is the rewritten chapter. I removed some of the Kamina bashing that was evident prior. Hope you enjoy!**


	8. Unrelenting Rain

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. Kirei Bachika, Illustrious Kazenami, and the members of ISO belong to me.**

* * *

"The Fifth Survivor, Nulleus?" asked Endozwei, the high pitch of his voice betraying his age.

"Yes" intoned Memeins. "Members, do you know of the fabled Keelle Revival Project?"

The monoliths remained silent.

"Does it have anything to do with killing humans? If not I'm gonna lose interest real fast!" tittered a sadistic and insane voice. Ribofunf followed this up with a manic chuckle.

"Shut it you rabid idiot. Why would this meeting be gathered for something as pointless as that?" quipped Mitoseiben.

"Care to say that to my face, chicken?"

"Enough!" snapped Memeins. "Pronein. Continue."

"Thank you. Since you evidently are not familiar with the Project, I see I'll have to explain it. In essence, the Keelle Revival Project is the Spiral King's way of playing God."

"And…?" asked Vesechs.

"Do continue, Pronein," said Ciliacht, evidently intrigued.

"Very well. This is the information given to me by General Guame and…"

* * *

The rising sun blazed behind Viral's new ganman: the Melee Assault _Enki_ Custom, _Enkidu_.

"It's been a long time hasn't it? You naked ape!" sneered Viral from his perch atop his mech.

Down below, Kamina growled.

"Wait…you're…" Simon glared at the beastmen, and the blood-encrusted Kirei did likewise. Yoko whipped up her handgun. The sisters stood their ground in front of Rossiu, Leeron and the twins.

"I see that you've been enjoying yourselves as of late," proclaimed the shark-cat, exuding the arrogance of an unparalleled killer. "But that ends today! I've come here to settle the score for good!"

"Viral…" Kamina growled, remembering their previous encounters.

Viral's face went into a scowl, teeth bared at the Demon Leader.

"You have my helmet," he snarled. "And I intend to reclaim it! But first…"

He turned his eyes away in disgust.

"PUT SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON, YOU NAKED APES!"

Only then did the Gurren Brigade realize that they were completely naked, clothes blown off by the explosion.

The girls' shrieks were high enough to be heard on the other end of the wastes.

* * *

"So this Keelle Project is nothing more than the Spiral King's desperate attempt to revive his friend from beyond the grave…" commented Mitoseiben.

"Yes. And he hasn't been very successful," informed Memeins. "One hundred women over a thousand years, and he's only been able to produce five children. Five survivors. And sometime in the last few centuries, the First died and the Fifth disappeared, but was proclaimed dead."

"According to the testimony of the…Third, was it?" added Endozwei.

"So what? What do we care?" complained Ciliacht. "We have our own custom ganmen and super-weapons. Why should we care about some genetic clone of the Spiral King's BFF?"

"If you'll kindly be patient," intoned the calm young female voice of Cloradrei, "I'm sure Nulleus will get around to that. This must be beneficial, else he would not bother bringing all of us together."

"Correct," confirmed the monolith in question. "If we capture the Fifth and hand him over to Guame, we will not only gain favour with the General, but we will also have access to him – and his, I might add, _extremely_ powerful ganman – for future purposes."

"So basically twisting him into our own little secret weapon," summed up Flagvier with a dark chuckle.

"What about the Third?" asked Vesechs worriedly. "She might find out about the Fifth's survival, and if intel is to be believed, she had an…interesting relationship with him."

"Ooooooh~! Now I'm interested!" cooed Ciliacht.

"Now really isn't the time to be indulging in gossip," reprimanded Cloradrei.

"I'll humour her," said Pronein with a sigh. "It was an on-off thing between them. They dated, broke up, got back together over the years. Then the Fifth started dating a beastwoman during one of their 'off' phases and it remained that way. The Third didn't take it well. Either way, it doesn't matter; the other survivors will be kept in the dark." He coughed. "Do you approve, Nulleus?"

"Yes," intoned Nulleus. A silence fell.

"All in favour for the retrieval of the Fifth and the custom Shingann?" asked Memeins into the silence.

"Aye," chorused the monoliths.

"All against?"

Silence.

"Very well. Allow us to begin planning," said Nulleus. "You should all know that the Fifth has joined the human resistance group that has been plaguing Thymilph's region of late."

"According to reports, in addition to the Fifth's own Spiral abilities, the rebels also have access to a mecha known as _Gurren Lagann_ whose pilot rivals the Fifth's potential," informed Flagvier. "This is why they are so successful; it is likely that only one of the Knights or possibly the Spiral King himself would be able to take them out in a straight fight. They're nowhere near what was once used, of course, but they are a threat nonetheless."

"Send the _Isofren Zetsunami_," said Ciliacht curtly. "That should deal with them."

"The _Isofren_ will not be ready for combat testing for another month," countered Memeins. "Why would we send a warrior who has not yet learned to wield his sword?"

"Agreed," said Pronein. "I propose sending a squad of _Enkidras_."

"Take care that you do not underestimate them," warned Nulleus.

"I don't plan on it," replied Pronein. "Even if the _Enkidras_ fail, it will give us a solid benchmark on which to plan future attacks."

"Waste of resources, I say," commented Cloradrei snippily. "Besides, all of the _Enkidras_ are in Teppelin. By the time they get there the rebels will be on the ocean."

"We can have long-range _Auwl_ bombers outfitted to act as carriers to transport the to the area where the rebels currently are," responded Pronein. "They can get there within an hour."

"If you're certain," said Nulleus. "All in favour of Pronein's plan?"

"Aye," they chorused.

"Opposed?"

Silence.

"Then we are adjourned. Get to work, Pronein."

"Sir."

* * *

_Gurren Lagann_ and _Enkidu_ met in a clash of sparks. They paused, broke apart, then struck again, their contest a flurry of strikes, parries and dodges. From an observer's point of view, it looked like a tornado of metal.

Simon grunted as he tried to hang on. Kamina was focused, his face a mask of determination and rage.

Meanwhile, the girls had finally found their clothes. Kirei and Kiyoh stood by in the _Illustrious Kazenami_. The Shingann stood with its arms crossed.

"You're being awfully nice letting us change into our clothes and all, for a beastman that is," commented Kiyoh over the _Illustrious Kazenami's_ loudspeaker.

"Ha!" Viral never took his eyes off of Kamina as he replied. "Defeating a bunch of human rebels in the nude would make me look like a fool in front of my superiors! The Capital City's warriors prize decorum above all else!"

_Enkidu_ struck hard and fast, ending with a swift upward kick that sent _Gurren Lagann_ into the air. Simon grunted as he tried to maintain control over their ganman, barely managing to force _Gurren Lagann_ to land on its feet.

Kamina rubbed his chin pensively, ignoring the flight.

"What's the Capital City?"

"Capital…that means…center? Or base?" replied Simon.

"Base?" Viral sneered. "Calling it a base is an insult!"

The _Enkidu_ jumped into the air above the _Gurren Lagann_, thrusting its sword down. The _Gurren_'s mouth caught the blade before it could pierce the cockpit. Kamina grunted as he struggled to keep it out. Viral drew another katana and smashed it down on the _Gurren Lagann_, sending them both into the ground.

"The Capital is the very center of the Teppelin Empire!" he informed them loftily. "And at its peak sits the throne of the Spiral King, ruler over the entire Earth!"

"Spiral King?" wondered Simon.

"Empire!" snapped Kamina.

The two dueling mechs fell to the ground, the impact sending rock and debris everywhere in an expanding cloud. When the dust settled, the _Gurren Lagann_ had the _Enkidu_'s blades by its twin drills, both protruding from each wrist. The warriors grunted as their weapons locked together. Stalemate.

"Damn you!" yelled Viral in frustration. "Give back my helmet now!"

"You mean after all that crap about Empires and Kings, that's all you care about? Get your priorities straight, fuzzball!" yelled Kamina.

The katana blades shattered, the broken pieces dropping away to either side. Viral was momentarily stunned, but then smirked as his composure returned.

"You seem to want to make the Capital your absolute enemy," he hissed, his countenance dark. "Very well…behold! The power of the Capital City!"

Out of the rising sun came a whistling sound. An explosion erupted between the two ganmen, hurling the _Gurren Lagann _flying towards the _Illustrious Kazenami._ The Shingann crouched, covering the non-combatants with its body.

"What was that?" yelled Kiyoh from the _Illustrious Kazenami_. No one replied, for they were all staring at the massive shape silhouetted in the rising sun.

"A mountain?" pondered Rossiu.

"A mountain?" yelled Kamina indignantly. "Since when do mountains shoot at you?"

"It's moving!" yelled Kiyoh, using the _Illustrious_' optics to zoom in.

"What?" yelled back Kamina.

The giant shape moved closer, and giant arms and legs became visible. It lumbered towards the humans, firing as it approached. The _Illustrious Kazenami_ and _Gurren Lagann_ covered the non-combatants with their bodies as shells tore up the ground around them. The girls screamed in fright, the sound barely audible. Kamina grunted as looked up.

"What the hell is that? What has this kind of firepower?"

The explosions grew less. Kamina was able to turn around, and when he did, he saw Enkidu reaching towards the crest that had replaced its helmet.

"Do you now understand the awesome power of the Capital, insect?" yelled Viral. He snatched the crest off of the _Enkidu_'s head, revealing it to be an ax. "Now die!"

"Not a chance!" yelled back Kamina, detaching _Gurren_'s trademark shades to use as a sword. He parried the oncoming blow and replied with a vertical strike of his own. Viral dodged to the side.

"Surrender my helmet!" yelled Viral. "And while you're at it, why don't you just lie down and-oof!"

The _Illustrious Kazenami_'s kick caught the unsuspecting _Enkidu_ in the side, sending it reeling sideways. _Gurren Lagann_ turned to its dark partner.

"Hey, what are you doing, metalhead?" growled Kamina. "You don't mess with a fight between men!"

Kirei shrugged pragmatically.

"I have had it up to _here_ with the impudence of you naked apes!" growled Viral, regaining his balance. "Have you no honor, Kamina? Getting your lackey to interfere when you're going to lose! It's disgraceful!"

Kirei simply blew some air out of his closed mouth with a 'pfft'.

"I heard that! And," Kamina turned back towards Viral "I never asked him to do nothin'! And I wasn't losing to _you!_"

"No matter," continued the beastman smoothly. "It's all moot now. All of you are dead men walking!"

The human rebels watched in tense silence as their latest foe approached. Even from a distance its bladed prow loomed over them, covered in a forest of guns of all shapes and sizes. Its shadow was a lake of darkness on the sun-bleached wastes.

"It's huge!" yelled Yoko.

"It's enormous…" breathed Kinon.

"Incredible…" said Kiyal

"It's so gigantic…" added Rossiu

"Oh…I'm blushing" twittered Leeron, taking note of the two circular missile pods on each side of the bladed prow.

"Do you see?" Viral chuckled. "This is the Mobile Land Fortress Ganman, _Dai-Ganzan_!"

Simon was terrified. "Bro! It's too big for us!"

"Woooah…" muttered Kiyoh with awe. Kirei just glared stoically.

"Oh yeah! Now _this_ is what I've been waiting for!" Kamina practically salivated at the sight of the fortress.

"But…this is impossible!" exclaimed Leeron suddenly, his eyes glues to the screen of his handheld terminal. Rossiu turned towards him with a questioning look. "That thing's position coincides perfectly with the recall point's coordinates!" explained the mechanic. "But…yes, that makes sense! Of _course_ their base would be mobile! You could have a whole army of ganmen, wherever you wanted!"

The _Dai-Ganzan_'s eyebrow quirked up in annoyance.

"Viral." Its deep bass voice boomed through the desert air. "Are you having problems dealing with these mongrels?"

"My apologies, sir." The _Enkidu_ bowed. "I was just about to finish them off.

"There's a beastman controlling that thing too?" asked Kiyoh.

"Huh…" said Kamina as he brought the Gurren Lagann closer to the fortress.

"Kamina, you idiot! Get back here!" yelled Yoko into her headset. "Do you even _see_ the guns on that thing?"

"Yeah, I do!" he replied. "Looks like this is going to be fun!" He chuckled a bit. "So is this what it feels like? Having a shadow cast over you? Awright, you big lug! Don't think you're getting out of this without a scratch!"

"Calm down, bro!" said Simon worriedly. "I think we're the ones who aren't getting out of this without a scratch! I mean, look at the size of it!"

"Heh! A true man doesn't run from a bit of danger!" Kamina pumped his mecha's fist. "We're gonna take down this big bastard _because_ he's big! Got that?"

"Heh, what's the matter? Lost your nerve?" sneered Viral as he leapt towards the red mech.

"Yiff in hell furfag!" Kamina kicked _Enkidu_ aside without even turning around.

"Maybe we should…" Kiyoh began, before being interrupted by the fortress ganmen.

"Such impudence from such tiny creatures!" it rumbled. "I, Divine General Thymilph, will grind you back into the dirt from whence you came!"

"Right, that's it! You're mine!" yelled Kamina. He leapt, planning to land _Gurren Lagann_ on the deck. The fortress was having none of that, however, and aimed its cannons with pinpoint precision, blasting _Gurren Lagann_ before it could even leave the ground. The _Illustrious_ tried to charge to the red mecha's aid, but was also blasted right off its feet. Viral laughed and stepped into a hidden elevator, riding it up to the ship's deck.

"Get out of there!" ordered Yoko. "Both of you! Staying out there is insane!"

Her commands fell on deaf ears. Both mecha struggled back to their feet.

"Sonuvabitch!" Kamina yelled. "If you think that's going to keep me down, then you're delusional!" He charged again.

"Oh this is pathetic," rumbled Thymilph. "Fire on them again. Focus on that stupid red one. We can mop the dark one after we blow him to smithereens."

A wave of fire roared out. Dust and orange flames burst upwards in a sinister cloud. _Gurren Lagann_ was engulfed by the explosion.

"Kamina!" yelled Yoko. "You idiot!"

"You might be able to deal with my ganman troops, but you are truly no match for the _Dai-Ganzan_!"

"Damn you!"

Kamina charged again. Instead of following, the _Illustrious Kazenami_ careful stepped back and away. Kiyoh looked to Kirei, confusion and worry in her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked sharply. "We should be helping!"

Kirei shrugged pragmatically. Kiyoh clammed up, knowing that she was getting nothing out of him. He turned his head to the side a little and Kiyoh noticed and turned a little...and saw the rest of the group.

Her mouth opened and said "Ah" and nodded. "Good point being on D. We gotta protect them from cannon fire after all."

Kirei returned the jesture with a nod.

Once again _Gurren Lagann_ was blasted back; once again, it got back to its feet.

"Egg's on your face now!" taunted Kamina. "That didn't even scratch!"

"Hrm." The grunt was perplexed. "That's strange. You should be scrap now."

"As if! Nothing can conquer the indomitable spirit of a true man!"

At that point the left leg fell apart. Kamina gave one quick "Erp" of confusion before _Gurren Lagann_ fell to its knees.

"Hmph. Much better." Thymilph grunted approvingly. "Take your time, men. They can't run now."

"What the hell!" yelled Kamina. "Simon, what the hell just happened!" Warning lights blinked all around him, but he swatted them away like mosquitoes.

"Damage to the left leg!" replied the digger, who was better at paying attention to his dashboard.

"Damn!" Kamina punched his console. "Can't we do anything about it?"

"Get off your high horse and crawl away!" replied Yoko. "Don't get yourself killed!"

"To hell with that! I'm not dying today, or any day!" Kamina ground his teeth. "I can't die out here! Dad…" He shook his head. "I'm not backing down! A true man never backs down!"

"This isn't bravery, Kamina!" Yoko's voice dropped into a low growl. "This is stupidity! You say you're not going to die? You're running right to your death!"

"What's the point of living if you're always running?" Kamina punched his viewscreen hard enough to cause a crack. "Can't you see, Yoko? This is all I have left! If I back down now I…if I can't fight, I don't have anything, you hear me?"

"Oh, this is glorious," whispered Thymilph to his aides. "Don't shoot yet, I want to see how this turns out."

Silence fell over the channel. Kamina grimaced, willing the tiny tears to go away.

"…You _do_ have something, Kamina." Her voice was soft and gentle. "You have Simon." Then her voice returned to full voice like a roaring lioness. "Think about what could happen to him if you died here in front of him!"

The world held its breath. And then Kamina released his, a great whoosh of air like pressure escaping from a balloon. He sagged in his seat and looked at his feet. All this time he's been so focused on his bravado, on his courage to never back down as man, he forgot the one thing that mattered to him most. He bit his tongue. If he died then Simon would...

"Bro? You okay down there?" Asked Simon in concern. Kamina turned towards the screen, seeing the boy he's known for years.

'_She's right. I can't die. Not on stupidty or anything like that. Not as long as Simon needs me.'_

Then a grin came to his visage.

"You know what, Thunder Thighs?" he said with a chuckle. "You're pretty smart under all that red hair, you know."

"A heck of a lot smarter than _you_, you dumb-as-rocks idiot."

"You're sure right!" He laughed again. "I'm just some idiot, aren't I? Good thing I've got all of you to back me up!"

"Oh. How boring." Thymilph slammed a hammy fist on his knee. "Drat, I was hoping he'd break down emotionally or some such. Now I'm disappointed! Men, re-target that big red eyesore!"

"Simon!" called Kamina. "You've always got my back, huh?"

"Of course!" The digger grinned. "It's you and me, bro!"

"Great!" Kamina pressed his trademark shades to his nose. "'Cause my back's pretty big, you know, and that means I need someone with a really big spirit to cover it!"

"Enough with the chatter!" snapped Thymilph. "Fire!"

The cannons roared again. The _Illustrious Kazenami_ flung itself in front of the noncombatants again, its dark bulk taking the blows of heat and shrapnel. Kirei grunted irritably. They were dead. If they'd backed off earlier, they might have lived. Now they were definitely dead.

Or so he thought. It was quite the surprise to him when he turned his mecha back around and saw _Gurren Lagann_ still standing, one giant drill on each arm shielding it.

Thymilph grunted in surprise.

"Nice one, Simon!" praised Kamina. "Now I got a question for you."

"What?"

"Do you still want to go?" The Gurren Brigade's leader gave his brother a serious look. "If we're going to do this, I need to know we're in it together, one hundred percent. If you think we should run, we'll run. If you think we should fight, we'll fight. Because we're brothers, understand?"

Simon didn't even have to hesitate. "Run? Why would we run? They're no match for both of us!"

"That's my little brother!" Kamina pointed a finger at the warship. "You hear that, Beastmen? I'm the Great Kamina, and he," he jabbed a finger at Lagann, "is Simon the Digger! And together, we're invincible!"

"Fire," said Thymilph curtly.

Before yet another volley rolled out, their cannons exploded one by one. Thymilph's eyes widened.

"What the-!"

"Sir!" Said one of the bridge crew. "It's that black ganmen! It's firing on us!" Thymilph turned his eyes towards the battlefield, sure enough there was the _Illustrious Kazenami_ wielding a still smoking pistol.

"Don't count us out yet!" Said Kiyoh with a grin. Kirei grinned and nodded.

"Why you little!" Growled Thymilph.

"Thanks for the back-up metalhead!" Said Kamina over the loudspeaker. The grey haired boy nearly shrugged.

'_Just don't get yourself killed moron,'_ he thought with a shrug. Kiyoh blinked.

'_Did I just hear that correctly?'_ Thought Kiyoh to herself. She could have sworn she heard a voice say "Just don't get yourself killed moron". Her head turned towards Kirei who was still and stoically staring down the disabled cannons with his pistol.

"Huh?" Pondered Kamina from inside his cockpit. "Did I hear moron or something?" He turned his head side to side. "Who said that?"

"Uh bro? Battleship?"

"Oh! Right! Thanks Simon."

The _Gurren Lagann_ lept high into the air. Targeting officers looked at their screens in disbelief, then recoiled as something heavy struck the deck. The red mecha uncoiled itself from the large dent it had made on the warship's deck and struck at several nearby turrets, perforating them with drills in quick succession.

"You fools!" roared Thymilph. "Fire on him!"

"But we'll hit ourselves!" protested one officer.

"Then focus on the dark one! Viral!"

"On it, sir!" Enkidu burst out of the hangars and charged towards _Gurren Lagann_. "You insolent human scum! Take this!"

He whirled like a tornado, ax in hand, and administered a brutal flurry of strikes. The crimson mecha was forced back to the deck's edge, parrying with its shades, until-

"Bro! I see an opening!"

"Take it, Simon!"

The shades caught the ax mid-blow, stopping it in midair. _Gurren Lagann_ stepped in, inside _Enkidu_'s guard, and landed a massive punch right in the silver mech's gut. Viral yelled in pain and surprise as his ganman was flung backwards, bouncing across the deck until it fetched up against the towering bulk of Dai-Ganzan's command center.

"Damn it! Kamina! You weren't this skilled before!" Viral spat out a tooth. "There's no way you've gotten this strong, this fast!"

"I didn't!" Kamina grinned wide as _Gurren Lagann_ strode forward. "Back then, you were fighting just me! Kamina! Now you're fighting Simon as well! And believe you me, he's a heck of a lot stronger than anyone gives him credit for!"

"I guess they never needed our help," remarked Kiyoh with a wry little smile. Kirei shrugged again, and watched carefully through the optical magnifiers.

"Damn you, Kamina!" growled Viral. Enkidu threw its ax in desperation. One of _Gurren_'s hands reached out and caught it by the blade, then crushed it. "That makes no sense!"

"Doesn't it?" He pushed his shades up, while above him, Simon pulled down his goggles. "It takes _Gurren_ and _Lagann_ to make _Gurren Lagann!_ Apart they're average; together, they're unstoppable! That's the power of brotherly spirit!"

"Two drills can cut through four times as much rock as one!" added Simon. "That's what we are! And with the two of us, we can cut through any rock you throw in our way!"

"You hear him? That's what we are!" Kamina pointed to the heavens. "Two drills, spiraling towards heaven itself!"

"_Gurren Lagann!_"

"Who-"

"In the hell-"

"DO YOU THINK WE ARE?"

The Gurren Brigade roared in happiness. Yoko wiped at her eyes with a smile.

"Just as it should be," she said.

* * *

High above the Mendell Channel, which separates the Eastern Badlands from the Teppelin Mainland, nine light-green _Auwl_ Bombers flew in formation. Stripped of their armor to reduce weight, they made quick progress across the water.

Hanging from the claws of each was a ganman, of a type similar to the custom _Enki__. _This version bore heavier armor, fashioned from the most advanced alloys and composites known. Underneath this impregnable shell hummed new, prototype servomotors, more powerful than any standard model, powered by high-capacity low-weight batteries. They carried with them a small armory of weapons: halberds, rifles, oddly-shaped longswords, and rocket launchers, among others.

Painted bone-white with blood-red faces and discordant yellow eyes, they were the precise, elegant spear used by Imperial Special Operations whenever an enemy needed to be dispatched quickly and effectively. They were the secret defense force of Teppelin itself. They were the Custom Heavy-Assault _Enki-Dragoons_.

Only the best were given the privilege of piloting such advanced weaponry. Their pilots had all been trained from birth, stripped of all emotions and left with only two abilities: following orders, and incapacitating their enemies as quickly and efficiently as possible. These ruthless machines wordlessly memorized the instructions scrolling down their screens:

**MISSION PARAMETERS**

**Mission Objective: Retrieve and Destroy**

**Target: Fifth Survivor, Special Shingann **_**Illustrious Kazenami**_

**Retrieve alive and intact, respectively**

**Target: Human Resistance**

**Destroy; leave no survivors**

**Imperative: Mission must be conducted with utmost secrecy**

**Maximum Secrecy Protocol is Active**

**Expected Resistance**

**Fifth Survivor: Special Shingann **_**Illustrious Kazenami**_

**Rebels: Unknown-Type **_**Gurren Lagann**_**, heavily-customized Grunt-Types**

**Eastern Forces: Grunt-Types, possible Dai-Ganzan (unlikely), possible Byakou (unlikely)**

**Details**

**The Fifth must be retrieved at all costs, with minimal damage to him and his ganman. Secrecy is paramount in this operation; no survivors must be left to report back to their superiors of ISO's involvement. This includes any non-ISO allied personnel active in the area. Consider such personnel hostile and eliminate.**

**Both the Unknown-Type ganman **_**Gurren Lagann**_** and the Shingann **_**Illustrious Kazenami**_** should be consider Class SS threats. Do not underestimate them under any circumstances. If retrieval becomes impossible, do not hesitate to terminate the Fifth.**

**Regardless of mission outcome, conduct a fifty-klik sweep and kill any human or beastman on sight.**

**For the King, and His Empire.**

* * *

**Big thanks to one of the most epic authors here on this site, Juubi-k, for beta'ing this fic. Could never done it without ya buddy.**

**ISO makes it's move, Kamina has a life changing realization, and Simon makes one step to GARdom. Yep, Anno-sensei would be proud of me 'Rebuilding' this series. Not that much Kirei thought, expect more epicness on his and Simon's part next chapter.**

**Have no fear. Nia will get someone, and when you find out, it will make you say 'Whaaaaaaaaat?'.**

**Got this done faster than expected, must be all you kind reviewers, oh, and Juubi-k's epic Code Geass fanfic 'Sum of our Choices'.**

**Until Next chapter, internet-cowboys/girls.**


	9. Merciless Hail

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. Kirei Bachika, Illustrious Kazenami, ISO, and the Enkidras belong to me.**

* * *

"These humans are quite the cocky ones…"

So far, for the Imperial Eastern Extermination Battalion, everything had gone well. They had the human resistance cornered, and their charismatic leader and his sidekick seemed to have gained some kind of second wind.

The two forces stared each other down, both wary of making the first move. Thymilph glowered silently at his opposition, sizing them up.

"Great speech and all, guys," said Yoko, "but let's be honest, we don't stand a chance against something that big. Get your butts out of there, regroup, and come up with a plan!"

"I already have a plan," replied Simon. "I just need a couple seconds. And if we retreat, we lose the opportunity. We can't back down now."

"But Simon-"

"Chill out, thunder thighs! Simon's got this." Kamina leaned back and grinned confidently. "And look at it this way, if things go bad, we've got each other's backs!"

"That includes you, Yoko," said Simon. "You've got our backs, right?"

Yoko opened her mouth to argue, but instead she rolled her eyes and sighed. There was no arguing with that grin.

Meanwhile, Thymilph had reached a conclusion. He grunted and thumped a fist on the controls of his mecha. Viral didn't need to be told anything else.

"All right! Time to die!" howled Viral.

_Enkidu's_ shoulders flipped open, revealing the bulbous heads of several missiles that clearly had "Gurren Lagann" written all over them. Simon had noticed, however, and was having none of it. Quick as lightning, two drills flashed out from his arm and speared the missile pods. They bore in deep, miniature sub-drills spidering out and latching into the mechanisms of the pods.

It was a spark on a pile of gunpowder.

"What the hell? Let go, dammit!" yelled Viral, silently thankful that the missiles weren't primed. Around him, dozens of grunt ganmen roared and charged now that they had a clear indication that the battle had in fact begun for real this time. The cannons of _Dai-Ganzan_ flashed and boomed, lighting the sky on fire.

"I'm not letting go!" declared Simon.

"Take that, bozo!" laughed Kamina. "You're comin' to us!"

"As if!" sneered Viral. He dug in his heels and stuck his ax in the deck of Dai-Ganzan, entrenching himself and generally refusing to budge.

Simon grinned and obliged him.

_Gurren Lagann_ jumped, and at the same time it retracted its drills. It flew over the heads of the charging Grunts, and the horde did a clumsy and mildly amusing about-face, screeching to a halt and crashing into one another as their somewhat below-par minds tried to figure out what the hell was happening.

_Enkidu_ was stuck. Viral was trapped between either holding his ground or getting dragged out into space. Either way, he was on a collision course with the red mech. He could only watch in horror as it hurtled towards him.

"All right! Eat this, beastman!" yelled Kamina. "Flying Chariot!"

"Y-you'll kill us both!" stammered Viral.

"Meteor Speed…" added Simon.

"You idiot!"

"HEADBUTT!"

Any further yells of protest were drowned out by the crunch of metal as _Gurren Lagann_'s helmet collided at near-Mach with _Enkidu's_ body, right between the eyes.

The silver mech was sent not only sprawling but also _skipping_; it bounced along across the deck like an expertly-thrown stone sailing gracefully over the waves. It crashed headfirst into the warship's torso. When the smoke cleared, there wasn't much else other than the legs to be seen.

"Did that actually happen?" wondered Rossiu out loud, unable to believe that anyone could be so reckless and get away with it.

Kirei blinked.

"There's no way they'll get away with that," voiced Rossiu aloud. He grabbed a nearby pair of binoculars and peered through them at _Dai-Ganzan_.

"Then let us see!" snapped Kiyal, snagging the binoculars. "Hm. Looks all right. One problem, though."

"What?" asked Kinon worriedly. "Are they all right?"

"The problem is that Sis and Metalhead _aren't there with them_."

"Hey! Don't tell us what to do!" quipped Kiyoh irritably.

"Well then why aren't you over there already? Scared?"

"As if!" Kiyoh thumped the cockpit's wall. "Come on, Kirei! Take us in!"

Kirei moved the Illustrious into gear with a shrug. So much for impartiality.

"Well that was pathetic," grunted Thymilph "Viral! Get your ass back up!"

"Um. He's unconscious, sir," said one of his subordinates.

Thymilph scoffed. "Impudent little-!" he grumbled. He pounded a switch. "The rest of you useless grunts, get back up here now! Deal with this arrogant pair of idiots!"

"Yessir!"

"This is just great," said the General with a derisive grunt. "I can just tell that this day is going to be a fun one."

"There are nine aerial ganmen entering the area," informed one of his techies."

"Speak of the devil. That bastard Cytomander, sticking his nose in my business. He's way out of his jurisdiction! Flag those birds down and get them out of my airspace."

"I…can't, sir. They're not responding. I can't even get an automatic ID from their onboard computers."

Thymilph went silent at that.

"Do we have a visual?" he growled.

Immediately, three screens popped into life, each one showing a different angle of the same thing: nine green aerial ganmen speeding across the sky. One zoomed in closer, revealing the aerial ganmen to be of the _Auwl_ class, though stripped of all armor and weapons. Something white and mechanical was grasped in its clawlike feet.

They jerked, and their loads dropped, and Thymilph saw clearly what was coming.

"_Enki-Dragoons?_" he rumbled in surprise. "That's the Teppelin Defense force! What's a TDF unit doing all the way out here? They're _never_ supposed to leave the capital!"

He stormed over the window and pressed his face against it, trying to get a better view of the falling weapons.

Mid-fall, the _Enkidras_ sprouted glider wings and fell neatly into a formation glide, circling the battle like predatory birds. Two of them sported longswords nearly as long as they were tall, while three others carried halberds. Another two carried massive tube-shaped armaments, and the last two gripped gigantic versions of assault rifles.

"Oh my gosh, they're so cool!" gushed the badger-beastman. "Man, I hope I get promoted to the TDF someday. They get all the best gear!"

"Look at dem pallet mags!" growled a hyena-beastman appreciatively. "Ya can practically feel the coldblooded murder seethin' off them. Hey, where the hell did that name even come from?"

"Don't know and don't care, they're just so damn cool, I mean just _look_ at them!"

"Shut it, you two!" rumbled Thymilph, reaching around to give them a swat around the back of the head. "They aren't here for us to gawk at. I've got a bad feeling about this…"

* * *

The _Enkidra_s detached their glider wings and landed as one with a resounding crash, surrounding the _Illustrious Kazenami_ halfway between the humans and the battle on Dai-Ganzan. Kirei scoped ahead; Simon and Kamina didn't look like they needed his help at present. All right. He had time to play.

The _Enkidras_' pilots watched Kirei closely, while at the same time they read the information popping up on their HUD:

**ID: Shingann Illustrious Kazenami (Target [Retrieval])**

**Initiating area scan**

They pounced into action.

The tube-weapons flared and spat forth massive rockets, propelling their ganmen backwards. The rifle units acted similarly, strafing sideways and out while their weapons shivered and unleashed a torrent of fire.

Kirei jumped, and the rockets exploded beneath him. The rifle-units adjusted their aim to track him as he went, and bullets punched fist-sized dents in his armor. He grunted, feeling as if he was being flicked all over by fingers on his person but ignored it, because he had other things to keep track of: namely, the sword-units rushing up to meet him.

He flipped in midair to void the first strike from below, but was unable to dodge the second from above. The length of steel crunched into the _Illustrious Kazenami's_ back, sending it flying back downwards just in time to intercept the second volley of rockets.

Kiyoh yelled, and they were blown away, hurtling and skidding across the rocky wasteland. He felt a wash of pain on his back but it faded as fast as it came.

They were _good_.

The pilots nodded once, briefly, in satisfaction, before continuing their carefully-orchestrated assault. At the same time, more data scrolled across their HUD:

**Additional units detected within target operation zone:**

**48 Grunt**

**12 **_**Ganzan**_** Scout**

**1 **_**Enki-Melee**_

**1 General Custom (Thymilph)**

**1 Fortress-class (**_**Dai-Gunzan**_**)**

**Initiating Secondary Scan**

The halberdiers cut in next, whirling around the _Illustrious Kazenami_ and assaulting it with a whirlwind storm of metal. Several landed. All the time, the riflemen were circling around, firing controlled bursts around their allies that never failed to hit.

At this point, Kirei decided he was sick of their bullshit.

A halberd came down ax-first, and he wasted no time in darting in and grabbing it by the haft. Behind him, the other two rained blows on his back, but he ignored them and the nagging pain for the moment. All that was important was the one in front of him.

The pilot tried a twisting manoeuvre that would have freed the halberd from a lesser opponent, but Kirei was better than that. He countered, and suddenly the polearm was in his hands. The pilot, at least, had the good sense to retreat. In consideration of his presence of mind, Kirei let him go for the moment.

He turned around and faced the other two halberdiers.

**Secondary Scan Results**

**Illustrious Kazenami: 2x lifeforms detected.**

**Unknown which is target – retrieve both.**

**Unknown unit present: Unknown-class Gurren Lagann? 2x lifeforms also detected. Retrieve.**

**300+ staff and personnel aboard Dai-Gurren and accompanying units. Terminate.**

Unperturbed, the two halberdiers moved in, confident that their skill with their chosen weapon would be greater. They were right. Although Kirei put up a spirited resistance with the polearm, he was outnumbered and outclassed. Practically the only thing that saved was the superior speed and armour of the _Illustrious Kazenami_. He grunted again and again as blows landed from both the halberdiers and the pallet mags.

A blade crunched into the _Illustrious Kazenami's_' side, sending it reeling and having Kirei take a sharp intake of breath in pain. Then a haft blow juggled Kirei skywards, right into the path of two cross-directional rockets. He twisted and sliced one in half with the ax blade, and caught the other with the halberd's haft. He was sent spinning, while the weapon's handle was broken.

Mid-spin he was stopped by two longswords that caught him at the hip and chest. He went down into the dirt.

He forced the _Illustrious Kazenami_ back to its feet. The _Enkidras_ circled him lazily; the disarmed one had even produced a knife from somewhere, and looked ready to get back on the action.

Kiyoh was hissing through her teeth. Kirei's heart suddenly went out to her. This wasn't her fight. She was, as it were, along for the ride, and if he went down, she would too. And that just wasn't fair.

All right. Playtime over. Now it's business.

He tossed away the broken halves of the halberd in opposite directions, towards the two rocket ganmen. They batted the pieces of steel away, while the others sprang into action.

The Spiral gauge glowed green.

The longswords stabbed empty air where Kirei no longer was. The halberdiers, following behind, were quick on the draw and looked upwards again, expecting him to be there.

One got a knife to the face.

It staggered blindly, swinging its weapon in an upwards arc to try and ward off any other attacks. Its partner did likewise when it saw Kirei coming back down. The _Illustrious Kazenami_ spun through both strikes and landed on the wounded _Enkidra_ with a vicious crack, crushing the torso with its legs. It then withdrew the knife, spun to parry a longsword strike, spun back and jammed the blade into the wounded _Enkidra_'s cockpit.

Then, in the ensuing explosion, it disappeared.

With trained coordination, the _Enkidra_ squad condensed into a tight ball, with melee fighters on the outside, rockets and rifles on the inside. The disarmed halberdier picked up his fallen comrade's weapon and slotted himself into position.

When the smoke cleared, Kirei was on the other side of them. Immediately, every weapon trained on him. He smiled and hefted his trusty knife, remembering the weight, the feel of it. Behind him, Kiyoh sucked in her breath and patted him on the shoulder.

Yes, playtime was most _definitely_ over.

* * *

"Damn! What the hell is that?" exclaimed Kamina. He turned Gurren Lagann around. "Shit! Metalhead's surrounded! We gotta go help him!"

"I thought you didn't trust him?"

"Yeah, well, even if he is a spy then he's worth more alive!"

"Cool down, bro," urged Simon. "Kirei can take care of himself. And we've got bigger things to worry about right now."

They turned back around and faced these bigger things, which were actually a bit smaller due to being Grunt-types.

"Fine, Simon!" yelled Kamina, bringing his shadesword around in a wide arc that mauled several enemy units. "Let's deal with these losers first! Now where were we?"

"You were on my ship, killing my men," boomed a voice from above. "And you continue to do so, against my wishes."

'Bigger things' became a literal term as they looked up at the massive bulk of _Dai-Ganzan'_s central body. It loomed over them, a great tower of red metal and panoramic windows.

Atop it stood a dark figure, outlined against the sky. A great cape billowed behind its armoured shoulders, and in its hand it held a massive warhammer.

"But I'm impressed!" it yelled. "You're no ordinary humans, to be sure. It takes a warrior's courage to assault such a powerful adversary head-on." He chuckled. "That or stupidity."

"Hey! Nothing here but raw, manly courage!" yelled back Kamina. "Whoever you are, you can kiss your ass goodbye because Team Gurren is here!"

"That's right. I forgot." The warhammer's butt thumped against _Dai-Ganzan's_ roof. "Allow me to introduce myself, as is proper of fellow warriors!

"I am the Divine General of the East! I lead the mighty Eastern Extermination Battalion, which is but a fragment of the Spiral King's awesome power! Remember my name, for you will be taking it into the afterlife!"

"I am Thymilph! The Raging Wave!"

* * *

Kirei battled for his life.

He was fast, he was strong, but the enemy had numbers on their side, and they were very good at using them. Coordinated attacks knocked at him from all sides, and it was a dangerous dance just keeping one step ahead of them.

He had to start taking them down, or they'd wear him down until he collapsed with exhaustion. His thoughts raced in an adrenaline-fueled blur.

Okay. Let's do this.

A longsword and a halberdier came at him from cross directions, evidently aiming to either score a hit or launch him up for another combined attack.

He was having none of it.

As he predicted, the halberdier came in first, jabbing at him from range with the halberd's spear end. He dodged to the side and closed, and as he also predicted, the pilot immediately turned the jab into to a short swing with the ax.

His knife went down and intercepted it, and the ax head glanced to the side. He then twisted on his feet and turned in, aiming for a high slash at the ganman's head.

The longsword stepped in then, cutting at waist level, and Kirei was forced to redirect his momentum to divert the sword blow. The sword deflected into the ground, and he stepped over it, bringing his knife back around in a jab.

The halberdier bashed him on the back with the haft of its weapon. He stumbled forwards, right into a punch from the longsword unit.

This was a mistake.

A mere punch was not enough to distract him, even for a moment, and now he was in range of both of them, and close enough that they couldn't effectively wield their longer weapons. He smiled grimly.

A slash to the eyes, and the longsword was blind. It stumbled backwards, swinging ineffectually. The halberdier tried to retreat but Kirei whirled and pursued, sinking a knife blow into the approximate location of its navel and cutting upwards.

The ruined ganman staggered a bit before exploding spectacularly.

Two rockets whizzed through the smoke, evidently aiming to help or avenge their allies. Kirei dodged them quickly and jumped backwards out of the cloud in time to see the other two melee-types rushing forwards. He had to put some distance between him and them, before they could close and harass him.

He turned and lobbed his knife at the blind longsword unit, and it sank into the shoulder. Its arm went limp, and the sword dropped to the ground with a clang. He dove forwards, grabbed the fallen weapon, and slashed horizontally from a crouching position.

The mecha fell in two at the waist, its arms and legs flailing uselessly. Kirei grabbed his knife back as it fell by, ripping it out with a shriek of ruined metal.

"Good job, Kirei!" laughed Kiyoh. Then she inhaled with a hiss. "Look out!"

Bullets pounded him in the back, and he stumbled forwards, right as the remaining halberdier and the longsword closed in on him. He jumped and rolled forward, coming up with both knife and longsword held in front of him defensively.

A rocket slammed into him and he flinched noticeably, as if a hot jar exploded on his person.

The _Illustrious Kazenami_ was flung backwards yet again. It crashed against the wasteland's hard ground, leaving marks the size of small cars.

_Dammit!_ He seethed wordlessly, rubbing his head where it had hit the cockpit wall. _If it wasn't me, I'd be dead!_ Then: _Wait. Kiyoh?_

He turned. The Bachika was slumped in her seat, unconscious. Blood leaked from her head.

Then he remembered. Kirei Bachika was not fighting for his life. He was fighting for _hers_.

A wave of something new went through him, and suddenly he was stronger than ever before.

And he was _pissed_.

A thrown knife broke the sound barrier and impacted a rifleman so hard that it came out the other side in a spray of metallic bits. The rocketman next to it ended up on the receiving end of the same thing in the form of a massive longsword. This time the weapon stuck, and carried the impaled ganman with it for almost half a mile before sinking deep into a large rock.

As brainwashed as they were, the pilots were _almost_ shocked by this.

With a wordless snarl, teeth bared, the boy charged, his eyes red and bearing the same look as he possessed back at the bathhouse.

The halberdier and longswordman charged, meeting Kirei's own charge head-on. They swung at opposite heights: the longswordman at the head, to decapitate, and the halberdier at the knees, to cripple.

Kirei caught the first with his bare hand, and the second with a well-placed kick. The halberd was knocked right back out of its owner's hands, spinning away to smack the remaining rocketman in the head mid-reload. The halberdier jumped back and away. The longswordman was smart enough to do the same. Both units opened hidden compartments in their armour, revealing gatling guns and missile pods.

Kirei was about to go back after them when a small explosion erupted at his feet, sending him flying.

He twisted in the air, looking for its source. There – the last rocketman. Something on its head was glowing. Kirei's optical sensors zoomed in, revealing the CPC ring atop its head.

He swore wordlessly.

A red beam lanced right by his head, bubbling and cracking the paint on its way by. As he fell, three more zoomed by, one coming close enough to scratch his shoulder.

Red filled his vision in more ways than one.

He landed catlike and pounced, moving with ghostlike speed. The rocketman's CPC ring charged again, but Kirei was there before it was finished. The rifleman beside him strafed away and opened fire, but its shots had no effect. It stopped and moved away, fiddling with something.

Kirei paid it no attention, because he was busy putting his fist through the rocketman's abdomen. He then appropriated its launcher, stuck it in the hole, and pulled the trigger.

Flaming bits of metal fell around him as he stood.

The rifleman had finished with his pallet mag, and leveled it. He fired. This time, however, he was not firing ordinary bullets: he was firing tracer rounds that burned through the air like miniature comets. They pierced straight through the _Illustrious Kazenami's_' armour, burning holes into its inner mechanisms.

Kirei winced in pain as if burning matches were being rubbed on him, and turned on the offending Enkidra with blood in his eyes and a animalistic growl.

This one didn't even have the chance to begin charging its CPC. Before the pilot could blink, Kirei was right in its face. A quick punch to the head broke the CPC ring, and was followed by a whirling kick that sent it skidding backwards. This was followed, with inhuman speed, by a knee in the general direction of its groin. Fueled by rage, Kirei pummeled on his opponent for several seconds grunting each time, horribly denting its armour until it was barely recognizable. Then he lifted the poor, misshapen ganman, and snapped it in half over his knee.

He whirled around, looking for new opponents.

The wastelands gave him dust.

The other two had disappeared.

He trudged over to the fallen rifleman and retrieved his knife, and placed it back in its slot. He then stood for a while, breathing heavily, his eyes back to normal.

Then he looked back at Kiyoh.

Her face and hair were half-coated in blood, but that didn't mean anything – scalp wounds bleed for nothing. What he was more worried about was a concussion, or worse. She was breathing, and seemed to be fine, although she was still unconscious.

He leaned over and checked her head. It had stopped bleeding, thankfully, and there seemed to be a lump forming. She moved slightly at his touch, mumbling subconsciously. He breathed a little easier.

He wanted to help her, get her patched up, whatever he had to…but that just wasn't an option right now. Not in the middle of a battle. Not when everyone else was still in danger.

He tore a strip off his shirt and wound it around her head. It was the best he could do. Then he took the rest of the garment off, and cleaned up her face a little.

_Please be all right._

* * *

"Damn!"

The rest of the Gurren Brigade plus the Bachikas were collectively screwed.

The remaining _Enkidras_ had quickly retreated from the conflict with Kirei. It was obvious that they weren't going to be able to retrieve him, intact or otherwise. They conferred in laconic demi-phrases, and eventually happened upon a solution.

They recorded it in their computers as per protocol, changing their mission parameters.

**Retrieval found to be impossible.**

**Primary directive unachievable.**

**Changing focus to completion of secondary directive i.e. extermination of all non-ISO personnel.**

And now they had Yoko and the others backed up against a cliff.

"Damn!" swore Yoko again, firing her pistol to little effect. "Of all the times to be caught without a weapon! Screw it, from now on I'm lugging my rifle everywhere I go! Into bed, in the shower, to the bathroom-!"

"Um…hate to be the voice of reason, but perhaps that would only be if we live through this?"

"Kinon?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Hey, don't worry guys!" said Kiyal cheerfully, hefting the twins in her arms. "I'm sure we'll make it out. We'll be rescued!"

"Sorry to be the voice of reason," said Rossiu dourly, "but the odds on that are slim to none."

"Rossiu?"

"Yes?"

"Shut-"

"KITTAAAN STIIINGEEER!"

A massive yellow spike appeared from literally nowhere and impaled one of the _Enkidras_ right through the chestplate.

The other one looked at its partner blankly, for the first time stunned by something that had happened in battle.

These newfound feelings of shock escalated as the spike suddenly sprouted legs and twisted, hoisting the impaled ganman up in the air.

"I've got a headache!" it announced. "You know how bad it is?

"It's SPLITTING!"

And without further ado, the spike popped open in four sections, messily ripping the impaled Enkidra in half.

In place of the spike now stood a ganman, yellow and spiky and angular and brimming with the kind of blend of irritation and arrogance that only one man could possibly hope to accomplish.

"Haha! Brother, you showoff-y jerk!" laughed Kiyal. "See guys? I told you so!"

"Is that…" began Yoko.

"It appears to be a ganman," answered Kinon.

The last remaining _Enkidra_ pilot took stock of his situation. His squad was dead. His weapon was lost. If he survived, he would be executed by Command so they could deny that the mission ever even happened. In short, he was pretty much screwed no matter which way he looked at it.

But he could at least take down this impertinent upstart. See how well he fared without the element of surprise! The _Enkidra's_ CPC ring glowed.

It never got the chance to fire, because the pilot was subject to his second ever surprise when a massive gun barrel appeared in his rear monitors.

"Try this on for size!" yelled the newcomer, jamming the barrel into the _Enkidra's_ back.

There was a boom, like a shotgun made of thunder, and the last Enkidra perished in a giant fireball.

They stood in the wreckage of the fallen enemies, lit from below by the fires of destruction, and for a moment they were heroes.

On the left, _Topinu Rex_, renamed the _King Kittan_, armoured and spiked and yellow like purest gold. On the right, a remodeled _W-Tank_, squat and blue and outfitted with a cannon barrel on its head twice as long as it was wide.

Yoko gaped.

The two cockpits opened, and she gaped some more.

"Yoko! Been a while, huh?" called Dayakka, stepping out of the _W-Tank_.

"In a bit of a jam there?" remarked Kittan cockily. "Don't worry, girls. The cavalry's arrived!"

Yoko gaped just a moment more, then smiled.

"He isn't going to be happy when he hears you've been copying him," she called back jokingly.

"Screw that!" snorted Kittan. "I don't copy no one! Now what kind of a mess has that bozo gotten himself into this time?"

* * *

From darkness, light. And from light, five monoliths.

"What is your reason for calling us, Pronein?" demanded Memeins.

"Ergh. It better be worth it, there's a night's worth of beauty sleep I'm missing here," complained Ciliacht. She yawned to prove her point, and then paused. "Hey, where's Nulleus?"

"On business," explained Memeins curtly. "I am currently in charge."

"Speaking of business," interrupted Pronein. "About our little affair with the Survivor…"

"Yes?" inquired Ciliacht.

"This regards the _Enkidras_."

"Did they kill the stupid meatbags or not?" snapped Ribofunf impatiently. "That's a yes, right? Of course it is."

"They did not," interjected Memeins tartly. "That is what I am assuming based on Pronein's behaviour. Well?"

"I received the news just now," confessed Pronein. "The last transmission I received from them was of their imminent destruction. My humblest apologies."

"You kept _in contact with them?!_" exclaimed Ciliacht with disbelief. "You idiot! We were supposed to maintain total deniability! Haven't you heard of the term _black ops?_"

"I deemed it necessary to keep tabs on them," replied Pronein a mite frostily. "Would you fire a missile without tracking its trajectory?"

"If it meant I wouldn't have to own up to it later, then yeah!"

"Calm yourselves," said Memeins sharply. "We are not making any progress this way."

The two obeyed, though on the edge of hearing one might hear Ciliacht whispering _"newbie"_.

"Stands to figure," scoffed Mitoseiben. "Why did we ever decide to trust the new guy, anyway? The old Pronein was much more efficient than him. Fresh ideas my ass. Can't even wipe out some puny human rebels? Pathetic."

"You will also hold your tongue, Mitoseiben," said Memeins sharply. "It is hardly Pronein's fault that the _Enkidras_ failed. They were not his men, and he was not with them. Either way, I doubt even _you_ expected nine of Teppelin's most elite fighters to fall to some human rebel group."

"Yeah, you know what, I don't give a shit. Plan failed, whoop-de-doo. Thanks for the notice, Pronein, though next time could you maybe leave a post-it on the board or something? I'm kind of in the middle of a party here, and the ladies don't like being kept waiting."

"What's the theme? Blindfolds?" tittered Ribofunf. "Or are they waiting for an excuse to hike their skirts and run?"

"Fuck you, Ribofunf!"

Before the two could get any further, Memeins yelled out:

"ENOUGH! I do not wish to inform Nulleus that the members of the great ISO are acting like a bunch children straight out of the incubators." He paused for effect. "Or I _could_ tell him, and make of it what he will. Am I clear?"

The bickering monoliths fell silent.

Pronein coughed. "One last item before we all return to our lives," he said carefully. "I _may_ have another plan for the retrieval of Priority 1 and Priority 2."

"Really? Are we going to listen to this?"

"Shush, Mitoseiben," said Ciliacht thoughtfully. "Go on, Pronein."

"Why not deploy the _Hawquieru_ against the resistance?" he suggested. "We've tried to be elegant about it; now we must apply brute force. Something of the _Hawquieru_'s power will either smash them or leave them severely weakened. Either way, we can send in ground troops afterwards for retrieval."

"The Magmarinal? Really?' Mitoseiben snorted. "The thing's a joke. What use is a mech built to operate in magma? And what if you destroy the Priorities?"

"Someone hasn't been reading up on their targets," said Memeins softly. "Priority 1 is near-indestructible, but the way it interfaces with Priority 2 means we could incapacitate both, long enough at least to attempt a retrieval. Not that destruction wouldn't be an option. As for the problem of magma…I believe Pronein has an answer?"

"The rebels are currently moving over a volcanic hot zone," informed Pronein dutifully. "In other words, plenty of magma around. It would be a simple matter to orchestrate an ambush, giving us the added advantage of surprise."

"Fine, fine," said Mitoseiben curtly. "All right. But what about Thymilph? I know he isn't really high on our list of people to keep alive, but who says he's going to fail? Why not let him chew through the rebels and swoop in afterwards? No need for the lava-beast."

"Let us be honest with ourselves," said Pronein cynically. "Who here actually expects Thymilph to succeed?"

There was silence among the monoliths.

"Then I believe it has been decided," intoned Memeins. "Pronein's plan will be put into action. The only matter remaining is that of the pilot. Who can we trust to command the _Hawquieru_?"

"Me! Me! Me!" crowed Ribofunf excitedly. "You can trust me! I'll roast those humans up like a rabbigator on a fire made of burning stuff! They'll burn hotter than-"

"Yes, fine," interrupted Memeins quickly. "Very well, Ribofunf. First, formalities. All in favour of this plan?"

"_Aye_."

"Opposed?"

Silence.

"We are adjourned," declared Memeins. "The _Hawquieru_ is in your hands, Ribofunf."

"Yessir!" yelled out Ribofunf with glee, just as the other four disappeared.

For a moment Memeins was left alone. Then another suddenly appeared.

"I knew you were listening," said Memeins, a little friendly warmth creeping into his voice. "Skulking in the shadows as always, Null."

"Don't take me for a fool, Mem. I'm always watching." A pause. "I knew the Enkidras would fail. The Shingann is far too powerful for them to pose a serious threat."

"Then why let Pronein go ahead with his plan?"

"A test, Mem. A test. Of both Pronein and the priorities. I should probably inform you, out of courtesy, that I've already had your computer hacked in order to retrieve the data _you_ had hacked out of Pronein's computers."

"Ah. I had a feeling you would do something of the sort. Tell me, did they pass?"

"Of course. But there are yet more tests to come."

"Pronein's latest plan. What if the Priorities fail?"

"Then we succeed in our mandate and report as such back to the King. However, I doubt that will come to pass."

"Ribofunf may die." It wasn't really a question.

"Yes. It takes a wise man to know when it is best to grant a request, and you seem to have mastered the art. Ribofunf is useful in his own way, but he has become a poison. And the only way to cleanse a poison…"

"Is to bleed the body," concluded Memeins. "How was your meeting with the Princess?"

"She is well. A strong young girl. We had a lovely chat. Naturally, she came away with some questions."

"What kind of questions?"

"The simple kind that come naturally to a child. I just forced the issue, really."

"Don't leave me hanging, Null. What did you tell her to ask Lordgenome?"

There was a slight chuckle.

"Why was I born?"

* * *

**Kittan and Dayakka have arrived, and I noticed that I am making chaps from segments of episodes with stuff courtesy of moi added in. Better get ready for the long haul *sigh*.**

**Thanks go to Juubi-k for the editing and beta'ing. And as of the rewrite, thank 1 over 0 as well.**

**And yes, I took away Simon punching out Kamina. Too OOC for him and a green mistake of mine once upon a time.**


	10. Breaking Sun

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. Kirei Bachika, ISO, and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me.**

* * *

"A general, huh?" Kamina smirked. "I'd be sweating if I were you, being exposed like that and all. Can't shoot off those big guns this close!"

Thymilph chuckled ominously, looking down at Dai-Gurren from atop the Dai-Ganzan's command tower.

"Our guns may be useless," he rumbled, "but we are far from defenseless! Come at me, Gurren Lagann!"

Simon and Kamina obliged him, leaping forwards and drawing their fist back. Just before they got within swinging range of the General, Thymilph's eyes glinted with murderous amusement; a moment later Dai-Ganzan's massive right arm whipped out and smacked Gurren Lagann back down. A second slap from the left arm set them spinning. The two pilots grunted as their world spun.

Meanwhile, Thymilph descended the elevator back down to the bridge. He took his place in the command chair and regarded his foes with contempt.

"I will not tolerate your arrogance, _especially_ not aboard my Dai-Ganzan!" he yelled. "No matter how big your mouth, it cannot compare to Dai-Ganzan!"

Unwilling to give up, Gurren Lagann jumped once again at the command centre. This time, both arms came to bear; both hands came from the side, crushing Gurren Lagann between them. It repeated this several times, and when they were done, they grabbed the red mecha by the legs. Thymilph laughed as Gurren Lagann hung between Dai-Ganzan's fingers like some sort of toy doll.

"I'll tear you apart limb from limb!" he declared. The Dai-Ganzan began to pull on the red ganman's legs. Simon and Kamina were helpless, unable to reach to try and pry off the fortress ganman's grip. Gurren Lagann's joints creaked in protest, spraying sparks as vital connections came close to snapping.

"We're coming apart!" yelled Kamina.

"Damn it!" cursed Simon. They couldn't afford to die! He waved the ganman's arms in a desperate attempt to attack the giant hands holding them. If they died, then Kirei would be left alone to defend the group. And if he fell, then…

Thymilph grinned evilly, looking forward to seeing the red ganman come apart like a rag doll. "Rip apart…"

The mecha's joints neared their breaking point…then…

Suddenly, two explosive booms rang out, followed quickly by the creak of metal forced in ways it didn't want to go. Dai-Ganzan's armored fingers twitched apart automatically, smoking badly, dropping Gurren Lagann. The red ganman landed on the deck with a crash.

"What was that?" roared Thymilph. "I want an answer _now!_"

"General Thymilph! New enemy units!" cried out one of the bridge crew. He mashed a couple keys, and a video feed blinked onto the screen. A blue Tank-type model and the tall, dark ganman from before stood on a nearby ridge. The latter carried a spent rocket launcher, and both weapons were smoking. As they watched, the dark ganman tossed aside its launcher and pulled a rifle form its back.

"Never thought I'd be glad to see you, metalhead!" yelled Kamina.

"Who's that?" asked Simon, squinting at the blue W-Tank.

"We're the cavalry, that's what!" replied the newcomer in a familiar voice. "We'll cover you, so get clear!"

"Dayakka?!"

"That's me!" Ritona's muscle-bound chief and leader appeared on Simon's screen, grinning while running a hand through his green hair.

Simon smiled back, hope flooding through him. The feeling only increased when a spiky yellow mech crested the ridge to stand next to the others.

"BEHOLD! KITTAN OF THE BLACK SIBLINGS HAS ARRIVED!" he announced grandly. Both pilot and mecha struck a pose. "Just in the nick of time, like always!"

"Eh…do we know you?" asked Kamina.

"You bastard! It's Kittan! _Kittan!_" yelled back an enraged Kittan. "There's no way you've forgotten me already!"

"Whatever," said Kamina dismissively. "More importantly, what are you doing piloting ganmen like that?"

"It's all because of you and Simon," replied Yoko, whose smiling face had appeared on both Kamina and Simon's screens.

"Hah! Of course it was us...! Wait, what did we do?"

"You stole Gurren, remember?" explained Yoko. "You proved it could happen, so now everyone's trying to copy you!"

"I ain't copying nobody!" corrected Kittan. "The Black Siblings kick ass no matter where they are, all right?"

"It's copycatting," deadpanned Kiyal.

"Typical Kittan, too pigheaded to admit it..." added Kinon.

"Hey! What happened to sibling support?"

"Everybody, huh?" said Kamina thoughtfully.

"Backup's on the way!" Yoko told them happily. "You're not alone anymore! We can do this together!"

Simon grinned in relief, while Kamina laughed out loud.

"Things are sure starting to go our way, huh?" he said confidently.

"You said it!" replied Simon. They picked Gurren Lagann up off the ground, ready to finish the battle they had begun.

"Unthinkable!" roared Thymilph. Humans piloting ganmen...the very idea set his teeth on edge and his hair on end.

He had a duty to perform, and he knew exactly what to do.

"THIEVING VERMIN! CRUSH THEM!" he roared.

The crew opened fire with gusto, channelling their leader's rage. A dozen grunt Ganmen charged out from the hangers, roaring in sympathetic fury. Leading them was Viral, yellling "Kill them all! slaughter them!"

They surrounded Gurren Lagann, ready to crush it under their sheer weight if need be. Kamina was unimpressed.

"Cannon fodder again?" he said nonchalantly. "We've taken down dozens of you guys already, what makes you think-"

He was cut off mid-brag by a shadow falling over him.

"Ow! Damn!" he yelled as Dai-Ganzan's massive fist crashed down on them. Before he could get up again, Viral and his squad had already closed in and joined in on the beat-down.

Kirei finished unloading Kiyoh with her sisters and charged forwards to join in on the fight. He jumped on to the deck, hoping to help Gurren Lagann...but he, too, was swept aside by the Fortress Dai-Gan's gigantic hands. He went skidding across the wasteland.

"YOU! HAVE! NO! CHANCE!" roared Thymilph, picking up Gurren Lagann with one gigantic hand. He tossed the red mecha, and it bounced twice before finally landing right next to the Illustrious Kazenami.

"Damn it!" grunted Kamina, struggling to get Gurren Lagann back on its feet. Beside him, Kirei was doing the same.

"Retreat, Kamina!" ordered Yoko over the comms. "You're in no condition to keep fighting!"

"Easier said than done!" groaned back Kamina.

"What are you talking about? Just run!"

"Bro, I think she has a point..." said Simon. His head was spinning from the constant tumbling, and the gauge in front of him fluctuated as Gurren Lagann struggled to continue running.

"Listen to me, Simon," growled back Kamina. "We can't run."

"But..."

"Listen to me!" He closed his eyes. "Think about it. We're in their cannon range now. If we turn around now they shoot us right in the back. And even if we make it, where do we go? If we run back to Yoko, they'll blast everyone else as well."

Simon was quiet for a moment as he digested this. Then: "So what do we do now?"

"I don't know," answered Kamina. "But whatever we do, we can't run."

Simon clutched his controls in mixed frustration and fear. They were trapped, with no escape.

He looked over at the Illustrious Kazenami, and the dark mecha looked back at him. And then...something. Supportive. Just a feeling, but...

He clicked his mind into gear. What could he do? What did he know how to do? His gaze drifted around the landscape.

Dai-Ganzan lumbered towards them, bearing down on them with implacable strength.

If only he could stop it...

"I've got an idea, bro!"

"What?" Kamina looked up at Simon. Kirei raised an eyebrow. Simon looked back at them with confidence.

"I can't explain it, but I can do it! Let me do this, bro!"

Kamina looked into Simon's eyes, and had no trouble letting go of the controls. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his seat.

"All right, Simon! It's your show now! Do what you have to!"

"Thanks, bro!" Simon pulled down his goggles. "Kirei, run that way!"

They ran.

"Shoot them down like the rats that they are!" cackled Thymilph.

Kirei ran just behind Simon, keeping pace with Gurren Lagann. They weren't supposed to be running, yet...

"What the hell are they doing?" asked Kittan. "I don't get it."

Suddenly, Simon turned around, lifted Gurren Lagann's arm, and...Kirei caught the bright flashes of miniature drills shooting out. Was Simon shooting at Dai-Gunzan? No, they fell short, or wide. He puzzled at it but could find no meaning in it.

But there was nothing he could do about it now. It was Simon's show, and he didn't dare interfere.

Then they hit a cliff, and suddenly Kirei wished he'd interfered earlier.

"They're trapped!" gasped Yoko, peering down her rifle scope. "Dammit! Those idiots!"

"They're stuck on the edge of a cliff," informed Rossiu, watching through binoculars.

"We're going to rescue them!" decided Yoko. She slung her rifle over her shoulder and marched over to Dayakkaiser. "Dayakka, gimme a ride!"

"ALL RIGHT!" said Kittan ecstatically, smashing the King Kittan's fists together. "Time for the Black Siblings to shine!"

"I would hold on a little if I were you." Leeron reached out without looking and grabbed Yoko's ponytail, stopping her in her tracks with an "Erk!" of pain. "I doubt Simon would let himself get trapped by accident..."

From Dai-Ganzan's deck, Viral glared down at his foes with a smirk of victory and a look of disdain. He laughed at them, enjoying their despair.

"You have two choices now!" he yelled down at them. "One, you can fall off that cliff and do our job for us. Two, you can stand there while we smash you to bits and throw the pieces into the abyss!" He sneered. "Any last words?"

"I choose option three," said Simon.

"What?" Viral frowned. "There was no third option, you idiot!"

"Option three!" yelled out Simon, raising his arm. "_You're_ the ones who fall!"

At that moment the penny dropped, and all the drills Simon had fired dug themselves into the ground in an _exact circle_ around Dai-Ganzan.

Simon grinned, Kamina nodded, Kirei was impressed, and Viral looked about himself in slowly dawning apprehension.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'RE PLANNING!" yelled Thymilph. "I'LL CRUSH YOU LIKE COCKROACHES!"

The Dai-Ganzan charged.

Simon brought his arm down, smacking the ground with a drill-charged punch. In tandem, so did Kirei with the dark ganmen.

There was a massive groan, and a series of sharp _cracks_.

The ground around Dai-Ganzan cracked and split, a series of fissures spiraling inward from the drills Simon had planted. Green light flashed from them briefly...and the earth gave way.

Dai-Ganzan plummeted into darkness.

"YOU BASTAAAAAAARDS!" yelled Viral as he fell.

Simon didn't reply, but smiled in content at a job well done. Gurren Lagann stood and lowered its arm, the drills retracting.

"Nice one, bro," congratulated Kamina, as the last of Viral's screams faded to echoes.

Kirei nodded, giving congratulations in his own way. Simon felt that supportive feeling again; he shook his head and put it down to exhaustion.

Together, the Gurren Lagann and the Illustrious Kazenami slowly walked back to their allies.

They were met by not two, but six ganmen. The four newcomers hailed them with waves. Kamina looked them over critically.

"Whaddaya think?" asked Kittan enthusiastically. "A couple of other idiots heard about some idiots stealing ganmen, and jumped on the bandwagon."

Kamina nodded in approval. He nodded again when he saw the flag with Dai-Gurren's emblem, flapping in the wind.

"I didn't know there were so many idiots in the world!" he commented.

Yoko smiled. "It's your fault, you know. We caught your bug."

* * *

An hour or two later, camp was set up, everyone was settled in, and night was falling. Gurren was seated on the ground while Leeron's gadget drones, little spider-like discs about half a foot across, skittered across its armor, patching up holes and repairing mechanisms.

"Fighting spirit repaired the armor, but as soon as Lagann disconnected it changed back...hm," he mused aloud.

Simon nodded. "I don't know why. They're just stronger when they're connected."

"Stronger together, huh? Sounds about right," said Dayakka from behind them.

"Oh, Dayakka." Leeron paused in his work, his fingers freezing mid-tap. "How are things in Ritona? If you're here, who's looking after the villagers?"

"We left them with Jiha's chief," he replied.

"He agreed to that?" said Simon, surprised.

"He said it's his duty to look after those who can't do it for themselves." Dayakka looked up at Gurren. "He also says he owes you an apology. Seems to me he's changed a lot since you left...kind of happens when you give people hope."

"And Gurren Lagann is a symbol of that hope~!" added Leeron.

"Still. We must be careful." Rossiu approached the group, his tone foreboding. "Gurren Lagann is powerful, but it is not invincible."

"Yo, Forehead!" Kamina smacked him in the head from behind. "Still talking like some kind of pessimistic know-it-all?"

"Kamina!" Kittan waved to them from the center of the camp. "Come and meet everyone!"

Chain-smoking Zorthy.

Kidd and Ailak, the Tornado Twins.

The bumbling but tough-as-nails twins Jorgun and Balinbow.

The taciturnly supportive Makken.

Small beginnings, perhaps; but it was the start of something so much greater. Having met them all, Kittan climbed up onto the Dayakkaiser.

"All right! Listen up, you bozos!" he proclaimed, waltzing out onto the mecha's cannon. "I've got an _announcement!_"

All eyes were already turned on him, so the theatrics weren't really necessary, but Kamina rarely did solely what was necessary.

"It's about that humongous ganman we took down today! 'Course, we all know it'll be back again eventually, 'cause beastmen are like that!"

He grinned then, mischievously. "Well, we got this far by stealing ganmen, right? Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Let's help ourselves to the big-ass ganman!"

He punched the air with his fist, and was graced with a wave of cheers.

"So that's it!" he finished. "By this time tomorrow, that big thing's going to be our new headquarters!"

More cheering.

"All right, you can all clear out now. Go get some rest for tomorrow." He hopped down off of Dayakkaiser, his cape billowing behind him. "Oh, except the old members," he added, standing. "Come with me."

Yoko quirked an eyebrow, but followed. So did the Bachika siblings, the Adai kids, Simon, Boota, Leeron, and Kirei. He led them a ways out into the woods.

"Right! Who thinks they can predict why the Great and Mighty Kamina has led you all out here?" he asked, turning around.

"To make the newbies feel unwanted?" asked Yoko dryly.

"No way! Actually, I really wanted them to sleep." He chuckled. "Can't fight without resting first, right? But before we go in tomorrow, we need to talk strategy."

"Strategy? You?" Yoko snorted. "Since when?"

"Since we need to," replied Kamina, serious for once. "You saw what happened. I may be crazy but I'm not THAT stupid."

Yoko bit down her instinctual acidic reply, genuinely impressed.

"But also, there's one other thing!" added Kamina then, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I need to give an apology!"

Yoko raised another eyebrow, and folded her arms over her chest. The Black siblings, Leeron, Rossiu, and even Simon did the same.

He took off his famous red shades and looked the silver-haired boy right in the eyes. Red met red.

"Metalhead – no. Kirei Bachika. I'm sorry for distrusting you so much over the last couple days, a'right?"

Kirei looked back, understanding in his eyes. Kamina grinned.

"Can't blame me, can you? Everything about you is suspicious. But!" He flicked his shades back on. "Today I saw you put your life on the line for us. And that's something I can respect!"

He stuck out his hand. "If you're a spy you're a damn good one, but I'd still be happy to fight alongside you. And if you aren't – and I'm pretty sure you aren't – then I'd like to call you a friend. Whaddaya say?"

Kirei smiled, and took the proffered hand. Kamina felt a feeling of understanding and reciprocation, through both the firm shake and the look in his eyes.

Yoko and the Bachika sisters smiled, relieved that the two would now be able to get along.

"One question, though," said Kamina, releasing Kirei's hand and stepping back. His face was now serious again. "Who took your voice, kid?"

Kiyoh started. "How do you know he's mute?"

"He doesn't talk, and he's got these great big scars across his neck. I mean, you really can't miss 'em." He smirked. "I may be crazy but I'm not that stupid, remember? _Or_ blind."

"They really are kind of obvious..." remarked Simon.

"I want to hear the full story." Kamina sat on the grass, and motioned for the others to do the same. "I hear you're an amnesiac too – don't give me that look, I'm not deaf either – but I want to hear everything you can tell me."

Kirei sat cross-legged opposite Kamina, looking a bit hesitant. Kamina gave him a supportive grin.

"We're brothers of the soul now, kid!" he told Kirei. "You can trust me."

Kiyoh patted him on the shoulder, encouraging him on. Kirei nodded, accepting the invitation.

And so, with the help of his sisters, Kirei told his story.

* * *

Dai-Ganzan was a hive of frenetic activity.

Mechanics rushed around the ganman hangars, patching up those they could save, cannibalizing those they couldn't for spare parts. Medics treated the pilots injured in the battle, peacefully releasing the pain of those who wouldn't survive. Elsewhere, all available crew members hurried to get the fortress back in working order. Severed cables were soldered and wrapped; hull breaches were plugged and welded; ruined components were stripped out and replaced. Dented gun barrels were hammered back into shape, auto-loaders and rotation mechanisms were un-jammed and repaired, delicate circuitry was removed and sent down to Engineering for proper repair or replacement.

Such was there hurry that, even if they could have, nobody would have seen or noticed the chameleon beastman that leaped from the cliff-side, slipped into the fortress, and sneaked his way towards the command centre. Once there, his natural camouflage deactivated, and he positioned himself behind Thymilph's throne. He lifted his wrist and pressed a button on the device attached to it. It blipped once, before the single word "MEMEINS" appeared on its surface.

"No problems, Naj?" asked the chameleon's commander.

"Yes, sir. I'm in central command now." He reached to a pack on his waist, and withdrew a small metal sphere. It shimmered dully in the low light. "I'm about to install the device now."

"Good. Carry on. You will receive your bonus in full upon your unnoticed return."

The beastman was tempted to ask what the device _was_, but he wasn't being paid to ask questions. Half the reason ISO employed him was precisely because he didn't. Instead, he chirped off a quick "Yessir" and clicked off the comms unit, already dreaming of double pay and a week's paid vacation in Beauty Village.

A moment later and he left, leaving the strange device attached underneath the throne. It blinked once, a malign red.

And then it vanished.

* * *

**Thanks go to Juubi-k and 1 over 0 for the editing and beta'ing.**

**Another month, another rewrite done.**


	11. Dawn of Two Souls

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. Kirei Bachika, ISO, Hawquieru, and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me. Expect Limes in this chap.**

* * *

Early the following day, before dawn, the entirety of the Brigade – the pilots, the mechanics, even the cooks – gathered in a prefabricated quick-hut of Leeron's design. It wasn't quite big enough to fit everyone comfortably, but they squeezed in, the overflow spilling outside and craning their heads to see inside.

"All right! Pipe down, bozos!" Kamina smacked the wall with his sword, sending the entire structure ringing. When the din had died down a bit, he added, "Planning time! Or actually, explaining time, since we already have a plan!"

"Hey! Why didn't we get any input?" complained Kidd from the front row.

"To be honest, Kamina didn't either," said Yoko with a flip of her hand. "Leeron came up with the whole thing himself."

"Hey! I'm the leader so I automatically take credit for any plans!" Kamina puffed himself up before continuing. "All right, listen up! Leeron's going to explain the plan now!"

"Gladly, hon~" said the mechanic, stepping forward. He swiped a few keys on his portable console, and a projector at the back lit up, splashing the wall behind him with the Brigade's flaming-skull logo.

"The objective of this operation," he began, "will be to grab the enemy's attention with a diversionary attack while a solo unit flanks around from behind to hijack the enemy flagship, subduing its systems, culminating in our acquisition of said flagship for our own purposes."

Dead silence met this speech. Leeron coughed and summed it up with "We're going to take the big robot from them!"

The cheers were too big for the hut, and spilled out into the surrounding forest.

"We're gonna do it like this!" Kamina told them, after the cheering had died down a bit. "We're gonna waltz up and grab their attention while Simon goes around back and steals that big guy right out from under 'em!"

Everyone looked to Simon, who nodded, his mouth set in a tough line.

Kirei left at this point. He'd heard the spiel already, and besides, the press was beginning to make him uncomfortable. He pushed out into the cool morning air and strode away to nowhere in particular.

Someone followed him. He deliberately relaxed, reminding himself that nobody here wanted to hurt him.

He still whirled around like a paranoid animal when that someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Kiyoh's greeting of "Guess who!" got as far as the first three letters before the sentence died in her throat. She blinked down at him in surprise. He stepped back and looked away, trying to hide his shaking hands and not think about how his hands might have been around her throat by now.

"Damn, you ruined the surprise!" joked Kiyoh, smiling. Kirei felt only the slightest bit of uncertainty from her. Evidently she was going to play along as if it had never happened; he had no way of telling her how grateful he was, but even if he did it would ruin it anyways. So he smiled back and relaxed, for real this time.

"Let's take a walk," she said then, and he went along without complaint. They walked along, side by side, out to the perimeter of the camp and into the woods beyond.

"You okay, Kirei?" She looked at him as he said it. He nodded, but she got the feeling from him that he wasn't being entirely honest. She shrugged it off; if he didn't want to talk, he didn't have to. The irony of the thought hit him a moment later, and she smiled a little at it.

She became aware of Kirei looking at her questioningly. She shook her head. "It's nothing. Just smiling at a stupid thought. Hey, how about tomorrow's battle? You nervous?"

Her tone was teasing, but he could feel a serious question underlying it. He shook his head. There was too much going on for him to be nervous. There wasn't enough time for it. He wished he could tell her, but the best he could give her was a no.

Somehow she seemed to get the gist of it, though. "Too busy to be nervous, right? I know that feeling." Her face became somber, briefly. "It's only quiet moments like these when I get worried…"

He said nothing, but then, he didn't really have a choice. A couple moments later Kiyoh cut straight to the point:

"By the way, I'm going back in with you tomorrow, all right?"

"No" barely describes Kirei's immediate reaction. He stopped, and she turned to him. He looked pointedly at the bandage that still adorned her head.

"This? This is nothing," she told him with a wave of her hand. "I've had worse. Anyway, Leeron went in and messed about a bit with the cockpit, and found a second seat. He even installed a seatbelt."

Kirei shuddered inwardly at the thought of being in close quarters with the flamboyant mechanic, and did so again at the thought of said mechanic playing around with his Ganman. Kiyoh must have caught some of it, because she laughed.

"Hey, chill out! Leeron's okay," she told him. "Besides, I asked him to."

He nodded slowly, still a little uncomfortable with the idea. They kept walking for a bit, enjoying the momentary peace of the trees, both knowing that come afternoon peace would seem like a fairy tale.

"Right, we'd better suit up," said Kiyoh, stretching her arms above her head as the approached camp again. She yawned. "And maybe grab some coffee too…hope I'll have time to brew a pot."

She lowered her arms and suddenly said "Hey, Kirei? Look at me for a sec, 'kay?"

He turned, and was surprised to feel something warm and soft hit him on the forehead.

"A good luck charm," explained Kiyoh as she withdrew. Her face was strangely flushed. "I figured I wouldn't have time later, so…"

She turned around then and headed away, walking a little faster than normal. Kirei watched her go, wondering if his own cheeks were flushing a similar shade of red.

He wandered back into cool peace of the forest.

* * *

Simon had never liked fighting. He'd be the first to admit it, too. In the tunnels, if you picked a fight, you were expected to end it, one way or another. And when you were the smallest kid, well, they rarely ended in your favor.

He wasn't asked to fight _exactly_, he reminded himself in an attempt to soothe his frayed nerves. He was just being asked to go up to the enemy warship, all alone, and try to subdue it through force of will alone. For obvious reasons this didn't help much.

He flopped back in Lagann's seat and looked up at the last of the stars, fading away before the day. Best not to think. Thinking was only going to make things worse. So he looked up at the stars wheeling overhead and closed his eyes, trying to trap the little moment of peace.

A moment later there was a tapping on Lagann's hull. He snapped open his eyes and looked over…right into the beautiful amber eyes of Yoko.

A mix of several different emotions filled his head in an instant, confusing and befuddling. If his nerves were frayed before, they were coming apart now. He sat upright and looked out into the trees, stammering something that was probably along the lines of "Oh, hi".

"Hey. Thought I'd check up on you." She hopped up and sat on the lip of Lagann's cockpit. "You're the most important piece in the puzzle right now, after all. You all right?"

Simon nodded, not trusting himself to say yes. Yoko smiled reassuringly.

They sat there for a moment, under the fading stars, while the sky turned orange in the east. Simon tried not to think too hard about how close she was.

"I'm lousy with pep talks," she confided in him. "I should probably try, though…so hang in there, okay Simon?" She glanced over at him. "Hey, are you _sure_ you're all right? You look a little red."

She leaned in and touched her cool fingers to his forehead…and, oddly, all of his nerves melted away. Even if it was only temporary, it was a wonderful feeling.

"Huh. That was odd." She pulled back. "Can't imagine how bad it would be if anyone got sick now…"

"Even if I'm sick," said Simon with a sudden burst of confidence, "I'll keep on fighting. So you don't have to worry about me. Or anybody else. I'll protect all of them."

"Aren't you sweet?" She knocked him playfully on the shoulder. "Anyway, I got one other guy to check up on before we head out…oh yeah, hold on a sec."

She hopped off of Lagann, reached down, and picked something up off the ground. It turned out to be a white plastic cup, filled with some kind of unidentifiable liquid and steaming copiously.

"Here, take this." She passed it to him. His hands warmed instantly as they wrapped around it. "Kiyoh just brewed some up. Better be awake when everything starts."

"What is it?"

"You never…" She smiled. "Well, I guess Littner was better than Jiha in some respects at least. It's called coffee. Guaranteed to wake you up one way or another."

And with that, she walked away.

Simon stared into the dark liquid. It rippled slightly in the breeze. Coffee, huh? Well, it certainly smelled nice…earthy, but with a spicy streak…

He put it to his lips and took a sip.

* * *

_Splash, gurgle_. Kirei approached the pond and watched with some amusement as Simon's head resurfaced from the water.

"It tastes like dirt!" he gasped, before shoving his head back in the water.

Kirei took a seat on the grass while Simon purged his mouth. The second time he resurfaced, he blinked and looked up through soaked bangs and recognized the silver-haired Bachika.

Evidently Kirei's amusement was showing, because Simon immediately said "I look like an idiot, don't I."

"_No, actually. You look just fine, Simon."_

"Thanks," replied Simon, before his thoughts had a chance to get in the way. A moment later his brain caught up with information from his ears, and he frowned. "Uh, not sure what for, though."

Kirei shrugged.

In the distance, the sun broke over the horizon.

"Wait." Simon turned towards Kirei, the penny dropping. "Was that..."

* * *

"ISO, their will be done, humans falling one by one~"

Ribofunf grinned in the way that only a hyena can. The rhyme pleased him. He tried to think up more as his paws flicked some switches.

"Attacking from the underground, fire burning all around~"

Yes, that one was good. He snapped a switch and the AC turned up. That was one problem with the _Hawquieru_; it heated up like nothing else. Thankfully the heat also gave it a practically unlimited battery, as otherwise the AC on its own would burn through the power cells in minutes.

Who the hell came up with the idea of a _magmamarinal_ Ganman, anyway? Obviously the project had turned up some nifty advances in heat- and pressure-resistance, as well as thermal energy conversion, but hell if it wasn't an impractical idea. If the current mission weren't taking place near a volcanic hotspot, he wouldn't even be piloting the thing.

Not that the hyena cared. A toy was a toy, as far as he was concerned, and as long as he got to play, why would he care about the details?

He hummed a bit, tunelessly, as he cranked up the speed a bit. The _Hawquieru_ burned white-hot through the molten rock, its many legs pushing it forwards along the vein's bed.

"Ribofunf is on the way, and those humans gonna pay~" he sang out happily. "One Shingann, one stupid brat, and a whoooooole bunch of burning corpses coming riiiiiiight up~!"

* * *

**Here's the new edit of Romantic Dawn. Well...wasn't really romantic as the prior version, but much more polished, all thanks to 1 over 0.**

**Expect more on the way.**


	12. Shadowed Morning

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. Kirei Bachika, ISO, Hawquieru, and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me.**

The sun rose behind the Dai-Gurren Brigade as they marched, suffusing the motley band of ganmen with a kind of warm orange aura. _Gurren_ and _Lagann_ headed the group, the later standing on the head of the former, while the tall, dark _Illustrious_ brought up the rear.

"Oi, Kiyal! Kinon! You're in charge of protecting camp while we're gone!" yelled Kittan as he passed his sisters. The two youngest Bachikas waved from their place atop the nearby ridge.

"Leave it to us, big brother!" shouted back Kinon.

"You can do it!" added Kiyal, jumping in the air as she waved with both arms.

The _Ainzaur_ passed by behind Kittan: a green-painted, animal-like ganman with small arms and powerful legs. Yoko came sprinting up from behind, leapt across the gap and onto the mecha's head, and strapped herself into the seat waiting for her on top.

"Cutting it a little close, aren't you?" joked Iraak from below.

"A _lady_ always arrives exactly when she intends to," the sniper retorted. She set he rifle in the firing support that had been added just for her. "Anyway, thanks for the lift!"

"It's always a pleasure to have a _lady_ on board."

"Good luck, Simon!' screamed Gimmy, punching his fists in the air.

"Good luck, Simon," echoed Darry, her voice monotone as usual.

Rossiu waved as well. Simon waved back. _Keep them safe_, he thought; he knew Rossiu couldn't hear him, but he could hope he'd get the message.

The thought reminded him of what he had learned the night before. He frowned thoughtfully. He wasn't sure what to think of Kirei's apparent power. He wasn't sure whether or not to even believe it.

"Isn't this awesome, Simon?" commented Kamina, slicing through Simon's jumbled thoughts.

"Huh?"

"When we left Jiha, the Gurren Brigade was just you and me." Kamina grinned and leaned back in his seat, his hands behind his head. "Now we got all these friends to back us up! The beastmen don't stand a chance!"

Boota jumped up on Simon's shoulder and squealed irritably.

"Boota says he was there, too," translated Simon.

Kamina chuckled. "Oh yeah. Sorry 'bout that, Boota. So the Gurren Brigade was just two guys and a pigmole when we set out…"

"Hey, what about me?" interjected Yoko, using the headset Leeron had whipped up for her. "I was there too!"

"Huh?"

"I was with you and Simon and Boota when we left Jiha!"

"You were?"

"You blockhead, don't mess with me! I've been with you guys the entire time!"

"Oh, yeah. Yoko was our number one supporter!"

"Supporter?" Yoko practically fumed.

"Yeah, supporter. You weren't a full member back then, sorry."

She made a wordless noise of irritation. "Honestly, I don't know why I follow your stupid ass everywhere…"

Poorly-stifled chuckles could be heard over the comms. She opened her mouth to berate Kamina again, but stopped when she realized it wasn't him.

"What the hell!" she burst out, blushing.

"Like an old married couple…" gasped Iraak around fits of laughter

"We heard every word," added Dayakka around his own guffaws.

"There's only one channel and it's always open! Didn't I mention this earlier~?" cooed an amused Leeron.

Simon smiled. But inside, something felt wrong to him. He dismissed it as nerves, and looked ahead.

All of his attention had to be on this battle.

In the back, Kirei chuckled along silently – he didn't have any other way, after all – until Kiyoh's face popped up on his screen, drawing his attention.

"Doin' fine up there, Kirei?" she asked. She wiggled in her own seat, placed in the _Illustrious_' second face. "Little tight in here, but I'll manage."

He tried to "send" to her as he had to Simon, telling her that he was just fine. She evidently got some of it, because she nodded back understandingly, but it seemed she hadn't gotten the full thing. He frowned. Since the last night, he still hadn't been able to repeat the feat…he wondered why.

"Man, those volcanoes sure are lively, though," remarked Kiyoh, peering at the horizon. Off in the distance the earth belched thick, grey smoke into the air. "Hope we don't get an eruption while we're out there." She felt Kirei's agreement.

One group of clouds, pushed along by the breeze, wandered overhead; flakes of ash fell on them like snow. All pilots retreated inside their cockpits; Simon closed his canopy; Yoko pulled on her goggles and left them there. Kirei frowned again, with real worry this time.

"_Why does this morning have to look so ominous…?"_ he wondered silently.

The earth rumbled, and the mountains in the distance coughed yet more smog into the air.

Beneath the earth, the _Hawquieru_ lurked…

"Blech, it's so hot in here." Ribofunf fanned himself with one claw and fiddled with the _Hawquieru_'s controls with the other. "Let's see let's see, how long do I have to wait in this sauna…"

Twin Charged Particle Emitter: Charging

Charge Status: 19% Complete

ETA for Full Burst: 10 minutes

The hyena beastman reclined his chair back and put his feet up.

"Eh, that ain't bad," he said. "Good thing I'm only gonna need one shot, huh? Hell, shouldn't even be any corpses…!"

He grinned savagely. "You should be grateful, meatbags. If all goes well, you won't even feel a thing~"

Kidd pulled himself forward one last inch, and peered over the gorge's edge. Deep below, the monstrous fortress ganman slumbered, covered in a blanket of dirt and debris from its fall. None of the lights appeared to be on, and no activity could be seen on or within it.

Kidd wiggled back a bit and touched a small micset looped around his ear.

"Must've overslept," he said with a grin.

He scuffled back some more, got up to a crouch, and then stood and sprinted back to his own ganman, the _Kidd Knuckle_.

There was a brief moment of silence, where the hot air weighed heavily, and the world seemingly held its breath in expectation…and then…

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" yelled Kamina. Roaring in unison, the Dai-Gurren Brigade charged.

"There you are!" Suddenly, several piles of dirt exploded, revealing several Grunts and a newly-repaired Enkidu. "We knew you'd be coming!" yelled Viral.

Machine guns, gatling guns, railguns, and other weapons slid out of their sockets and opened fire on the Brigade. Enkidu's various missile pods opened up and rained fire on the oncoming humans.

"Right! We pretty much figured you were!" shouted back Kamina. "Take thiiiiiiiiiis!"

Shadows fell over two of the Grunts, and a second later, they were crushed beneath two very large boulders. Bits of rock and scrap metal showered their comrades.

"You bastards!" Viral spluttered. "Everyone, watch your heads!"

"How do you like it, fuzzy? We've got the high ground! All right, everyone, open fire!"

Rocks rained down from the sky. Viral's men tried to dodge and return fire as best they could, but found themselves shooting more mineral than mecha.

"Damn! General, what do we do?" asked Viral, slicing an incoming boulder with his ax. "We can't keep this up!"

"Bear with it a little longer, Viral," rumbled Thymilph from Dai-Ganzan's bridge. "Those rocks still won't scratch my Dai-Ganzan!"

"What are you going to do now, fuzzy-boy?" taunted Kamina. He made a particularly rude gesture with _Gurren_'s hand. "Come up and get me, why don't you? Man to man!"

"These cheap tactics have no honor in them!" spat Viral. He grabbed one of his fallen comrades' gweapons and sprayed bullets up at Kamina. _Gurren ducked and dodced out of the way._ "_You_ get down here!"

"What, so your little goons can gang up on me? You call that honor?" Kamina grinned with amusement. "Oh wait: you don't have any anymore."

Viral looked about himself…and saw that he was surrounded by nothing but fallen rocks and bits of broken metal. He grit his teeth and hissed.

"General…!"

"It's ready!" Thymilph stood in his chair and roared: "DAI-GANZAN: ACTIVAAAAAAAAAAATE!"

With a shudder and a roar, the Mobile Land Fortress lit up and began to rise, while several dozen new ganmen poured out from its hangar to reinforce Viral. Dai-Gurren scrambled back as the massive mecha lumbered to its feet.

"Cannons, fire at will!" ordered the General. "Send them to OBLIVION!" A cacophony of explosions rang out in a semi-symphony of destruction, pulverizing the cliff face. Dayakka was a little slow in retreating and was sent flying back, the Dayakkaiser's arms flailing wildly in the air.

"Shit! Everyone, retreat!" yelled Kamina.

"We already are!" snapped back Kidd.

"You're not getting away!" Dai-Ganzan's arms flexed, and grabbed two nearby enemy ganmen. "Catapult arms, ready...LAUNCH!"

The arms flung their passengers into the air, in a perfect, machine-calculated arc straight over the Brigade's head and aimed right at the center of their group.

"Yoko!" yelled Iraak.

"I got it!" replied the sniper. She aimed and fired four times in quick succession; when the two ganmen landed, they immediately collapsed, their joints and power cables blown out. _Kidd Knuckle_ and _Sozoshin_fell on the two crippled mecha, destroying them with ease.

Yoko worked the action on her rifle, preparing for her next target. She sighted, breathed, fired…but the oncoming ganman popped out a wrist-shield, deflecting the bullet as if it were a fly. She gasped. "Move, Iraak!"

_Ainzer_ leapt to the side just as the _Enkidu_ came crashing down ax-first. Five more ganmen slammed down to the ground beside it in the time it took Yoko to recover.

"Deal with the small fry!" Viral ordered his comrades. "The red one is mine!"

"Wouldn't have it any other way!"

Viral whipped around just in time to parry _Gurren's_ shades, wielded now in its hands like an impromptu blade. The two mecha clashed for a second or two, and then separated; then, while the rest of the Brigade did battle with the beastman forces raining down from above, the two warriors circled each other.

"I'm going to end this today, ape!" growled Viral.

"Plannin' to stick that ax in your own cockpit?" jabbed back Kamina.

"Die!"

They clashed again, a flurry of metal and movement, kicking up dust in their wake.

Yoko watched from afar, chewing her lip with worry.

"Damn it, that bastard's looking to get himself killed again!" She leveled her rifle at the dust cloud and touched the communicator on her ear. "Kamina, distract him for a sec, or try to get him to sit still, and-"

"No. Don't interfere, Yoko."

"What?" She grabbed the communicator and practically yelled into it. "He's the enemy commander! We need to eliminate him as soon as possible!"

"Who the hell do you think I am?" Kamina grunted as he parried a particularly heavy strike. "I'll take care of him! Besides, your job is to watch our backs, right? So go look after everyone else's!"

"_Your _back is in the most danger right now, idiot!"

"What are you talking about?" The Brigade's leader grinned confidently. "The enemy's right in front of me!"

"You think you have time to be chatting, ape?"

Viral jumped up and came down in a slashing attack. Kamina parried it with an easy grin, turning aside the ax blade and putting a gash in Enkidu's armor. Viral growled in frustration and kicked Gurren back, spun his ax, and leaped forward to attack again.

Their battle raged back and forth, ax on shades, sparks flying as edge ground on edge and dust flying as massive mechanical feet pounded into the ground. As they danced, Viral became increasingly frustrated: the big red robot was moving at the same pace with annoying ease. Only a few weeks ago, he would have overpowered Gurren easily. Now…

"Damn you! How did you get so strong?" He tried to disarm Dai-Gurren's captain, but Kamina managed to turn the move back on Viral, resulting in the ax blade flying end over end through the air.

"What's wrong, furball?" joked Kamina, dropping into a relaxed ready stance. "You're getting slower. You been getting enough practice?"

"It's not a question of skill, dammit!" Enkidu pointed an accusatory finger. "You're just faster because of that stupid second…face…"

Viral blinked. He looked along his finger, over Gurren's head…and found only empty air.

"WHERE THE HELL IS YOUR SECOND FACE?!"

"Aw, crap. Guess the jig's up!" Kamina pointed his own finger, right at Dai-Ganzan. "You thought we were just some dumb apes, huh? Well, you're not the only one who can pull out a surprise attack! SIMON! GIVE IT TO THEM!"

"Shit! General, watch out!"

There was a faint rumble, and then the side of the ravine exploded outwards, showering Dai-Ganzan in bits of rock and dirt. Then, from the cloud of debris, Lagann appeared. Its drill glinted magnificently in the sun, and it traced a perfect arc that would take it up, over, and straight down on top of Dai-Ganzan's head.

"Enemy…overhead?!" yelled one of the ship's technicians.

"Defend us!" roared Thymilph. "Shoot that thing out of the sky!"

"We…we can't!" stuttered another officer. "They've…they've discovered Dai-Ganzan's one blind spot!"

"WELL DODGE IT THEN!"

"We can't! We're too slow…! General! Look out!"

There was a whir, and a massive drill came down through the ceiling. Thymilph barely managed to dodge away in time; his command chair, on the other hand, was torn to shreds. At the same time, every single console in the room buzzed and locked out, and every screen filled with a flat green background and the word "COMBINATION".

"What the hell is this?" said the comms officer, bashing at his keyboard.

"We've lost all control, sir!" reported the technical officer.

"Those bastards…!" growled the General. He grabbed his great iron warhammer and began storming away. "Don't just stand there like lumps of dead meat! Get to work on setting up a backup communications system! If you're _still_ useless, then head down and support engineering!"

"Thymilph, sir! Where are you going?"

"Where do you think?" he replied, his voice low and thunderous. "I'm going to rip out that damn mini-ganman, crush it, and feed it into the incinerator! By the name of Thymilph, the Raging Wave, _I will destroy them!_"

"What the hell are you apes playing at?" demanded Viral. He watched as a luminescent tornado of green energy rose up around Lagann, surrounding it and the warship it was connected to. As time passed, it seemed to him that the two almost became as one.

"What do you think?" Kamina jabbed a finger at him. "Our specialty! _Combining!_"

"Are you suggesting…_shit!_" Enkidu turned and began moving towards Dai-Ganzan. "I won't let you- _gah!_"

"Don't turn your back on the enemy!" said Kamina, pressing Enkidu's face further into the dirt. "You've got all you can handle _right here!_"

"You're a real _nuisance_, you know that?!" Viral grabbed Gurren's fist and twisted, flipping it over. Both combatants righted themselves, and they clashed again. "FINE! If that's how you want it, I'll _crush_ you, and then I'll take care of that stupid midget!"

Inspired by their commander's words, the enemy troops roared, and rallied against the Brigade. Likewise inspired by the success of their plan, the Brigade pushed back; and for a time, the two forces found themselves deadlocked.

And, at the same time, deep beneath the earth…

**Charging Sequence Complete**

**Dual-Burst CPC Unit Ready**

**Do you wish to fire?**

"Fuckin' finally!" grunted Ribofunf. He sat back up and grabbed the controls. "Annihilation time, baby! Oh, but first…"

An evil idea crossed his tiny mind. It wasn't strictly within his orders, of course; but then, there was no harm in playing a bit with your food, right? After all, it wasn't like it could bite back.

"Heehee! Oh this'll be good!" He cracked his knuckles. "Computer, d'you think you could patch me into the Dai-Ganzan's communications net?"

**Yes Sir.**

Thymilph was looking at a screen of his own, waiting for a program to finish loading, when he received the transmission signal. He keyed a couple buttons and opened it up on the side window.

"This better be good news," he growled.

His communications officer, a jittery squirrel-beastman, gulped nervously. "Er, as you can see, sir, we've managed to duct-tape some ganmen and a spare console together to make a makeshift comms array. And, uh, we've got a call for you."

"Who from? The capital?"

"Er…no."

"So it's from those rebel scum then? Ignore it!"

"It's ah…not from the rebels, sir. It's a beastman."

"So who is it?!"

"We're not entirely sure, sir…I'll patch you through."

The screen blanked out, and shortly afterwards was replaced by one of the biggest, craziest, cruelest grins that the General had ever seen in his considerable lifetime.

"Goooood morning, General!" The hyena gave a salute that was clearly nothing but mockery. "May I say, you're looking _wonderfully _fuzzy today."

"Who the hell are you?" Thymilph demanded.

"Oh, you know, just another fellow beastman, much like yourself. Much more handsome, though. Kidding!" The nutty dog leaned back and swiveled in his chair. "Different branch, same boss. You understand?"

"I understand you're wasting my time."

"Okay, fine then. I understand. You want to work hard for the man who's about to betray you. I guess I can understand that…well, no I can't really."

"Betrayed?" Something fluttered in Thymilph's stomach, but he crushed it under his iron will. "Nonsense! What game are you playing at? Which outfit are you from? I'll be seeing you in a court martial for this!"

"Oufit? What do you mean, outfit? That's far too formal for us. You ever hear of _ISO?_" The grin widened upon seeing the General's confusion. "Of course not. You're not nearly important to know of us. Shocked? Of course. It's always terrible finding out you're not really at the top of the ladder."

"_Explain yourself, you damn mutt._"

"Well, seeing as you're about to die, it won't hurt to tell you. If you're the Spiral King's swords, we're his daggers, the fun kind with spikes and poison that you never see coming. We're more powerful than the four Generals combined, and our stated mission is to be the _executioners_."

"Of who?" asked Thymilph, though the increasingly bothersome sensation in his gut told him he knew the answer already.

"The Spiral King's enemies, of course. Well…that and anyone he decides has to go." The hyena grinned again, like a predator before a helpless kitten. "It's a very _special_ list. You should be honored to be on it."

"Impossible! I've never failed His Majesty!"

"Who cares? I don't." The hyena waved mockingly. "Now I'd suggest you turn up the AC there, because it's about to get _very_ hot! Toodles!"

The transmission cut out. Thymilph slumped in his seat.

"What on earth…"

"General!" An urgent transmission cut through the usual call-acceptance protocols. "There's a _massive_ energy swell from the volcano! It's…it's way beyond normal! There's no way it's natural."

"Do you have video? Patch it in, damn it!"

The screen crackled, and then displayed a view of the volcano's side. It was…glowing, bright enough that the sun filters popped up over the feed to avoid blinding him. The General's eyes widened.

"_What on earth…_"

Suddenly, the volcano's side _exploded_. Twin beams of white-hot light burst out, melting the rock directly in their path and blowing apart the mountain around them. The beams speared upwards, stabbing the sky and parting the clouds, burning them away like tissue paper. They sparkled brilliantly as bits of dust and ash fell into them, and were instantly vaporized.

An insane voice cackled, from deep within the volcano's fiery depths:

"IT'S RIBOFUNF THE FRENZIED, FUCKERS!"

**Beta and edited by Juubi-k and 1 over 0.**

**Edited chapter.**


	13. Dark Noon

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. Kirei Bachika, ISO, Hawquieru, and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me.**

**AN: Listen to Final Showdown by Shiro Sagisu at a specific part, it's very similar to the Rebuild 1.0 Eva movie, I am sure Amras would point it out immediately.**

All hell was breaking loose around the _Dai-Ganzan_. All of the ganmen, piloted by beast or man, took cover behind any large boulders they could find as molten hell spewed out of the busted volcano.

"What the hell is going on!" yelled out Kittan as he took cover behind boulder, Zorthy next to him.

"Why are you asking me? We were fighting furballs just a minute ago, then the mountain exploded, how should I know!" he shrieked back.

"Guys we need to regroup!" yelled Dayakka over the comm. "The sooner we get back together the better. Those beastmen might stop sightseeing soon."

"What about Simon?" yelled out Kidd. The _Gurren_ was next to the _Kidd Knuckle_.

"We can't abandon Simon!" Kamina snapped back. "We'll hold out and make for the behemoth! He's still up there!"

"Easier said than done! We've a better chance of retreating back to base camp and…" Ailak was cut off by a pistol shot from above his cockpit, leaving a hole a just a few inches from his crotch. A fuming Yoko glared down at him, smoking gun in hand.

"We are not leaving him. Got that!" she roared over the chaos as she holstered her pistol and peered through her sniper scope. The pilots nodded in silent agreement.

"Hey…where's Kiyoh and Kirei!" demanded Kittan over the comm, the _King Kittan_ looking from side to side. "Are they with any of you bozos?"

"Not with me!" replied Zorthy. The other pilots sounded off, and to Kittan's growing horror, none of them had seen either of his siblings, born or adopted.

The _King Kittan_ rushed out of the barrier, as if energized by its pilot's agitation, running for the stricken _Dai-Ganzan_.

"Kamina let's go!" Kittan yelled. "Simon and Kirei maybe near the fortress!"

"Right! Yoko, you're in charge! We'll be back with Simon and Pretty Boy!" The _Gurren_ leapt from its hiding place and raced after _King Kittan_, ignoring Dayakka's pleas to stop.

Yoko nodded as she continued looking through her scope, looking at large gaping hole in the volcano. Smoke poured from it in a great billowing column, marked every so often with bright flashes of spitting lava. Most of the debris had landed, but the air was still heavy with ash, reducing visibility. She narrowed her eyes as she saw a slender serpentine silhouette in the belly of the volcano.

'_Could that had been what caused this explosion?_' she wondered.

Simon groaned as he regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and saw a river of lava flowing a kilometer or so away from the _Dai-Ganzan_. He sighed in relief.

"Too close." He turned his eye to his spiral gauge, and his heart sank. The spiral gauge was dark, inert. He turned his Core Drill a few times, hoping that it would start up.

Nothing. He pushed his joysticks back and forth. Nothing.

"No…this can't be…" he whispered when the realization hit him like a freight train. _Lagann_ has been trumped. The beastmen must of planned in advance in case _Lagann_ tried to control _Dai-Ganzan_, but judging from Viral's voice, he must have been kept in the dark. Could Thymilph had done this?

But the worst part was that all of it was _his_ fault. It was _his_ plan, ruined by some form of resistance on the fortress ganmen, and it may have cost the Brigade. His thoughts went to the Bachika duo piloting the _Illustrious Kazenami_, his bro, and most importantly of all Yoko. Were they all right? Were they hurt? He didn't know and couldn't because he rooted _Lagann_ o ntop of the fortress ganmen's command center.

"What do I do?" he asked himself as he took the Core Drill out of the ignition and put it back in again. But before he could twist it and start it up again, his eyes saw something moving on the surface of the lava.

Surprised, and not believing, he took a closer look. But there it was, defying all reason and thousands of degrees of heat, a white snake-like object gliding over the molten rock.

And it was heading right for him.

"Well, that was fun and all. Now to work" said Ribofunf as he piloted the _Hawquieru_ towards the _Dai-Ganzan_. His plan was simple; charge the CPE to about 45% power and let loose, destroying the fortress in a twin-pronged blast. That would get rid of the majority of the witnesses in the area. Afterwards, he would pick off the ganmen, beast or human-occupied. Then he would subdue the Shingann, and await further orders from Nulleus.

He knew that if he were to meet the Shingann, he would have to fight it. The ISO leader's orders were to retrieve the mech, but the hyena knew that the special ganmen wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Ah well, I guess I might as well prepare for a lashing from Memeins, and besides, what's wrong losing a couple of legs" he said to himself, his long-snouted face twisting in a villainous grin.

Multiple contacts. A quick look showed him a few Grunts and an _Enki_ melee custom, looking a tad worse for wear, jumping on to the back of his ganmen.

"You're not going anywhere Bogey!" yelled the _Enkidu_ as it prepared to bring down its axe on the armor, the grunts doing likewise with clubs. The _Hawquieru_ reared, the cylinders on the side of its wide head sliding open, long whips uncoiling. The whips glowed, coiling and cracking, slicking the Grunts to pieces. One of them grabbed the _Enkidu_ by the legs, holding it upside down like a freshly-caught fish. _Enkidu_'s ankles smoked as the whips cut into the armour.

"Get lost" sneered Ribofunf. With a twist of his stick, he coiled and lashed the glowing whips, sending the _Enkidu_ flying away over the horizon. He turned his attention towards the _Dai-Ganzan, _making out the small face in what had previously been the fortress' observation tower.

"I guess it's time to kill the first meatbag of the day" he gleefully twittered as the _Hawquieru_ moved closed, sliding easily from lava to ground and heading towards the _Dai-Ganzan_ on stubby legs. In his sublime overconfidence, he didn't notice two objects move quickly behind the _Dai-Ganzan_'s legs.

Kirei and Kiyoh's adrenaline levels were as high as the clouds. A ganmen firing a mountain busting energy blast was worth the concern.

Kirei focused his optics on the odd ganmen. Most of its body was made up of its long tube-like rear body with stubby legs while the front was composed of a spade shaped 'head' with marking resembling eyes that looks like sliding doors. It also had weird appendages on each side of the head and a cylinder on the outside of each eye. The _Illustrious_ looked down, seeing the _Moshogun_ ready for action.

"Kiyoh, What do you want me to do?" asked Makken, talking for the first time in a few hours.

Kirei knew that something had gone wrong with the combining on the _Dai-Ganzan_. Could it be Simon? Or did the beastmen prepare ahead of time? Judging by Simon's confidence earlier and his reaction to the de-combining, the latter.

"Makken, I need to see what caused the de-combining sequence between the fortress and _Lagann_ to stop. You should check the command center. Can you get up there?" said Kiyoh as she voiced her boyfriend's thoughts.

"My _Moshogun_ has grapple anchors. I can get to the command center with ease." It wasn't a question, but a fact. "Can you distract that lava ganmen?"

"You can leave it to us" Kiyoh called back. The shorter ganmen nodded and fired the grappling anchors from above its eyes. The anchors struck, hauling the ganmen up to behind the command center. She saw the _Moshugon _kneel and a figure dart inside a door. She looked back to her screen, and saw Kirei looking at her.

"You ready?" she asked. The silver-haired Bachika nodded as the _Illustrious_ held up its rifle. The _Hawquieru_ was closing in on the _Dai-Ganzan_ as the dark ganmen stood out from behind the leg of the fortress ganmen, rifle aimed. The _Hawquieru_ reared up on its serpentine tail, the spade-head pointing towards the dark ganmen. Kirei could see the skull face below the spade, grinning down at him.

"So that's Priority 1 eh?" sneered the unimpressed hyena-beastman as he saw the _Illustrious._ "Priority 2 and another one inside?" he noted the twin life-form readings on his screens, one of them fitting the pattern provided by ISO. "I suppose roughing it up a little won't get me in _that_ much trouble."

The Bachika duo fired, releasing a storm of bullets at the snake-centipede hybrid. A cloud of smoke enveloped the _Hawquieru, _but it did not falter. Kirei gritted his teeth in determination as he kept his hand on the trigger, firing until the clip ran out. The lava-ganmen was entirely concealed by smoke. The mute breathed in and out, calming himself.

"Did we get him?" asked Kiyoh, but her thoughts were cut short as two beam whips lashed out of the smoke. One hit the _Illustrious_' rifle, severing it and toppling the _Illustrious_ over. The other sliced a nearby rock clean in two.

Kirei was momentarily stunned at the speed of the whips. He didn't seem them coming! He gasped as he saw the centipede ganmen looming over them, spade-head staring down, whips flailing about wildly.

"Did you honestly think…" said a voice from the _Hawquieru_ "that bullets could damage _my_ _Hawquieru_, fleshbag!"

After saying that, the whips came at them with breakneck speed, the dark ganmen dodging just in time. The _Illustrious_ moved away from the _Hawquieru_ as the centipede-snake hybrid moved closer, whips flailing. It danced with the _Illustrious_, the Shingann dodging every lash of the whips, plowing through rocks, ruined ganmen, and dirt mounds as it danced and dodged. The whips coiled and whistled, slicing everything they touched.

"You're not running from me boy!" the _Hawquieru _roared as it sent the _Illustrious_ back-first into a cliff face. The whips lashed, Kirei and Kiyoh narrowly escaping as they backed the _Illustrious_ into a hollow cavity. Kirei opened the pauldrons, reaching one hand for the pistol, but the whips grabbed the Shingann's left leg.

"You're mine!" the ISO ganmen twittered as it dragged the dark ganmen to the ground and threw it up against the ceiling. The _Illustrious_ burst through, rubble falling around it. The earth exploded as it flew out of the ground. Rocks bounced off the _Hawquieru_'s hull as it inched closer and closer to the flying ganmen. Kiyoh screamed as she and her boyfriend were sent into a tailspin, the ganmen landing on the _Dai-Ganzan_'s prow. She grunted and moaned a few times, putting pressure on her head.

_'Are you alright Kiyoh?_' yelled out a frantic Kirei in her mind.

"You okay you two!" cried out Simon.

"I'll live" she groaned. "I can't believe we can't scratch that thing. Its whips are too damn fast!"

_'The whips are fast, but the ganmen itself if slow. That armor has to have a weakness, nothing is invincible_' thought Kirei as he saw the _Hawquieru_ burst out of the rubble and crawl towards the fortress.

"Simon! We sent Makken inside the fortress to see what's causing the de-combining" called Kiyoh as she turned towards Simon on her screen.

"You mean the beastmen thought beforehand?" asked Simon.

"No! That's _our _handiwork!" yelled out the _Hawquieru_ as it launched its whips again, aimed this time for the _Lagann._ The _Illustrious_ grabbed at the whips with both hands, catching both and holding hard. The Shingann braced its feet, straining as the _Hawquieru_ tried to retract the whips.

"You mean you caused this! What are you!" yelled out Kiyoh.

"He's a beastman sent here to kill all of us!" called a gruff voice. "Condemn Blaze!" A blast of energy, coloured blue, erupted out of the _Dai-Ganzan_'s deck and hit the _Hawquieru_, which was standing on the cliff overlooking the fortress. The ganmen recoiled, crying out in pain.

"Damn you Thymilph! Why don't you run away like a reasonable coward!" the _Hawquieru_ shrieked, evidently peeved that someone should have the gall to fight back.

"I will never abandon my comrades! If it mean's joining up with the humans to save even one life of one of my soldiers from the likes of you and ISO or whatever the hell they're called, so be it!"

A large gray and blue twin-faced ganmen, slightly shorter than the _Gurren Lagann_ in height, jumped out of the smoking hole to land on the deck. Heavy, sharp-bladed shields covered its forearms, and one hand held a lance, its point glowing blue.

"You just managed to set yourself deeper in shit you moronic gorilla!" yelled the serpentine ganmen. "You damaged my _Hawquieru_!" As the smoke cleared, a black scorch mark was visible on the _Hawquieru_'s armour, and the skull-like face had been destroyed.

The humans were puzzled, even more so when they saw the face of Thymilph appear on their screens.

"Listen humans, this person is in league with some ISO group," the General said, scowling. "Apparently, the Spiral King as ordered not only me, but my men dead just for following me. I treat my soldiers like a family, and as much as I hate to ask…" Thymilph lowered his head. "I need your help in eliminating this threat. Since me and my men are now fugitives…" he paused, biting his lip as he sucked in his pride.

"I wish for you to take us in. We know valuable intel on all of the armed forces of the Teppelin Empire, and to where the capital is. I'll even let you rename my _Dai-Ganzan_ if you like…but please…help me destroy this living calamity and provide sanctuary for my army. Me and my men will be in your debt eternally."

The Four General's Custom Ganmen _Byakou_ turned toward the _Illustrious_ and the _Lagann _and dropped to one knee.

Simon's mind was racing, as was that of a certain hyena beastmen and a silver-haired Bachika. One of the Four Divine Generals sought asylum…from his own kind…and was willing to aid the humans if it came to that.

Simon had differing thoughts. On the one hand, all of that intel, resources and manpower could prove invaluable to the Brigade, it might even win them the war! But on the other hand, he might be trying to pull a fact one, not to mention that he and all of his followers were beastmen, the ones responsible for his parents' deaths.

But if his parents were alive, would he have gotten this far?

Makken was still inside the fortress looking for a way to restart the combining. The _Illustrious_ and the _Byakou_ stood side by side, ready to take on an enemy that had destroyed the side of a mountain and could easily overpower Kirei. He looked down at the Raging Wave.

"How am I supposed to trust you" he asked. The _Byakou_ looked up.

"I swear thy holy oath that I, Thymilph Zynova, son of Syne Zynova, and those whose oaths I hold, will follow your orders."

"Simon…you're not serious are you?" asked Kiyoh, shocked.

"Do you mean it?" Simon asked again.

"If my oath is not fulfilled, you may kill me as you please" replied the _Byakou_.

_'Accept him Simon, he speaks the truth_' said Kirei as he voiced his thoughts to the Digger. Simon nodded.

"Alright then, I'll accept your oath, as long as you can help us defeat this guy."

Simon turned the ignition once again, the spiral gauge coming to life as it tried to spin to full. But it stopped, went up, down, up, down again. He knew what was causing it.

The three humans and beastmen heard a chuckling, then a full laughter, then a guffaw as the pilot of the _Hawquieru_ laughed uncontrollably.

"Oh this is rich! Beastmen and humans! Working together! The day that happens the moon grows a face and falls!" The _Hawquieru_ actually shook and gyrated as its pilot laughed. He could not have known how true his statement would be 7 years later.

"This is going to be fun!" the ganmen bellowed. "I'm going to savor ripping you limb by limb, Thymilph!" The pilot smacked his lips, so loudly that the sound carried over the loudspeaker.

"The one who is going to be ripped is you! Ribofunf the Frenzied!" roared Thymilph, turning the _Byakou_ turned towards the _Illustrious._ "Let's go Darky! Let's take this bastard back to hell to whence he came!"

"I never thought I would agree with a beastmen, but you got it Raging Wave!" called Kiyoh as the _Illustrious_ drew its pistol, wielding the halberd in the other hand. The _Baykou_ hoisted its lance, and with a battlecry from the three warriors, one mentally, they leapt up into the _Hawquieru_'s beam whips.

Destiny had been prolonged and changed by a beastmen's act of sacrifice, but the men of fate would realize that this was far from the final showdown.

Deep within the capital Teppelin, an event was taking place.

A Monolith, hidden in darkness, watched the event via a security camera. It watched as the little girl turned from one to the other of the beastmen accompanying her. Her mouth moved fast, babbling uncontrollably. Her white-blonde hair bounced as she turned, her wide eyes full of innocence, evidently not knowing what awaited her.

As she turned, one of the beastmen carried out his orders. Seeing his chance, he pressed the needle down into her back. The girl's eyes widened in shock, then slid shut as the tranquilizer took effect. She slumped into the beastman's arms, the other taking her by the feet, both lifting her into the empty crate. Without apparent hesitation, they sealed the crate shut.

As Nia Teppelin was disposed of, Nulleus activated another screen, and saw the _Hawquieru,_ the Shingann, and Thymilph's ganmen.

"Just as planned" he said. Had his body been present, it would have been smirking in triumph.

"Soon…the next phase will begin…and then…" He paused as the moon came to view.

"_They_ will finish what Lordgenome couldn't do to his own kind…but did to me instead…"

The monolith faded out in darkness.

**Toenn Gun asked, Largeham asked and they has been answered: BRING ON THE VIOLENCE EVEN MOAR. Oh, and more ISO goodness.**

**Beta'ed and edited by Juubi-K and what not.**

**So far, both S&A takes the lead, one of Amras and Toenn(S&A), the other from Largeham, keep on voting new readers, whether it be PM's or reviews**!


	14. Night in the Afternoon

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. Kirei Bachika, ISO, Hawquieru, and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me.**

Makken darted through the halls of the _Dai-Ganzan_'s command tower, checking every room he came to. Still he found nothing. He could not find the device that had prevented the Combining. His one stroke of luck was that the over-wrought beastmen were busy down below, trying to repair and man the stricken fortress.

Finally, the bald man found the door to the command centre itself. Kicking down the door, his eyes were blinded by two lights, one green, the other red. The green light was the _Lagann's_ drill, still spinning above him. The other was red, shining like a star from underneath the enormous throne that stood in the centre of the chamber.

Instinct told Makken that the red light, whatever it was, was to blame for the de-Combining. A quick look under the throne revealed the source of the red light to be a mechanical orb, small enough to hold in his hand. The _Moshogun_'s pilot grabbed it, ran towards the window and threw. The glass shattered, the orb falling into the gorge below.

Above, Simon's face went from concentration to hope as he saw his spiral gauge spin to full. Makken had come through for him after all.

"Alright! Time to end this!" the Digger yelled as he gripped the joysticks tighter.

Leeron's face lit up as he saw the change on his screen, the stylized green lines, which until a moment ago were being slowly driven back towards _Lagann_, suddenly leapt out to all sections of the _Dai-Ganzan_. The Combining was complete.

"Simon! Dai-Ganzan is yours! The combining is complete!" he yelled in jubilant relief.

"Okay then! Kamina where are you?" Simon yelled into his comm.

Thymilph cried in pain as the _Hawquieru_'s beam whipsthrew _Byakou_ into the canyon wall, rock fragments pattering off the grey armour. The _Illustrious_ jumped over the ISO ganmen, handgun blazing. But the magmamarinal ganmen's armour, capable of resisting the heat of the Earth's mantle, was up to the task. Inside, Ribofunf laughed as he heard the bullets bounce off.

"If this is what is making Memeins and Nulleus lose sleep at night, I have nothing to worry about!" he twittered. He was rather enjoying the battle, and decided to show his victims one of the _Hawquieru_'s other features.

Inside the _Illustrious Kazanami_, the Bachika duo stared as the enemy ganmen's stylized eyes slid open, revealing a ring underneath each one. Both instantly recognized them as CPC emitters, identical to those of the _Enki_ class units.

"Ah shit!" Kiyoh cursed as she saw the rings glow. The _Illustrious_ dodged, landing on the other side of the gorge as two beams of crimson light incinerated the canyon face.

"You can't run forever _Survivor_!" yelled Ribofunf as he moved slowly towards the dark ganmen.

"Nulleus and Memeins must be your bosses then?" asked Kiyoh, voicing Kirei's thoughts.

"It doesn't matter. You'll meet them soon enough!" The whips coiled, ready to strike again, only for Thymilph to interrupt.

"So this duo are the so-called leaders of this ISO group?" he demanded, as he charged towards the serpentine ganmen. The _Hawquieru_ turned around, only to receive a burst of the Condemn Blaze. The blast scorched the armour, but no more.

"Since you are not going to live much longer, yes, they are!" answered Ribofunf. He lashed his whips at the two ganmen. Both dodged.

"Dark one, we need to find a way to penetrate that armor!" snarled Thymilph as he continued to dodge the whip.

"That armor withstood being inside a volcano!" Kiyoh snapped back. "Nothing conventional can pierce that!"

_Conventional._ The word rang inside Kirei's mind as an idea popped up.

_'Kiyoh, I have an idea! Maybe if we and Thymilph pierce the same place at the same time, we can crack the armor!' _

Kiyoh nodded as she turned towards the gorilla beastmen on her screen.

"Thymilph! If we pierce that armor at the same time, we could crack it!" Thymilph nodded in understanding. The _Byakou_ and the _Illustrious_ started running towards the idle serpentine ganmen, halberd and lance raised.

"Whatever it is you're planning, I won't let ya!" sneered Ribofunf as he aimed the whips. Miraculously, the duo dodged. The _Illustrious_' halberd glowed green with Spiral power as the _Byakou_'s lance glowed blue.

"Alkaid Glaive!" yelled Thymilph as he and the Bachika duo plunged their weapons into the _Hawquieru_, catching it under its spade-head. The serpentine ganmen jolted, reeling back at the impact, sparks flying. The whips coiled and flailed as the serpent tried to free itself. One of them caught the _Byakou_'s left arm, slicing it clean off.

"Damn you!" roared Thymilph. He pushed hard on the handgrips, pushing the glaive deeper.

Suddenly lance and halberd broke, detonating in a bright flash. _Illustrious_ and _Byakou_ were flung away into the canyon wall, while _Hawquieru_ was thrown to the ground.

Inside the _Illustrious_, Kiyoh groaned in pain, shaking her head to regain focus.

"You alright there?" asked Thymilph, with apparent concern. Fear and worry pounded in from Kirei.

"I've been through worse" she groaned. As her focus returned, she scanned her eyes over her screens, assessing the damage. _Illustrious _was still in one piece. She looked towards the maimed _Byakou_, and saw a discoloration on its face. She looked at the _Hawquieru,_ which was still wreathed in smoke, its silhouette sprawled upon the ground.

It rose, a groan of pain reverberating from its loudspeakers.

"You sons of bitches!" it roared. "You'll pay for this!" The smoke cleared, and Kiyoh could see the reason for her enemy's fury. The armour underneath the spade-like head had been penetrated, revealing gears and circuitry. She smirked in triumph, as did Kirei when he sensed her pleasure.

"What's wrong _Mister ISO-man_?" goaded Thymilph. "Crying over the fact that your toy got broke." Ribofunf growled.

"Just because you found the _Hawquieru_'s weakness doesn't mean I'll let you exploit it! Got that you monkey!" he roared as the eyes slid aside again. Kiyoh gasped in fear.

"Dodge it!" she cried. _Illustrious _and _Byakou_ obeyed, leaping sideways to avoid the deadly beams. The _Hawquieru_ lumbered towards the already damaged _Byakou_, no doubt seeking to finish the wounded enemy before taking on the healthy one.

"This is the end for you, _monkey,_" sneered Ribofunf. A wicked grin split his snout as he looked down at the damaged ganmen. "I'll tell Adiane that in your last moments, you…"

But he never finished. The _Byakou_ leapt up, driving its blade-shield into the _Hawquieru_'s open wound.

"You can insult me however you like…but never, _ever_, bring Adiane into something like this!" the Raging Wave roared as he sliced at the armor. He tugged and slashed, ripping away the armour plates and crushing the circuitry underneath. The _Hawquieru _reeled back, and just then a shadow appeared momentarily over it. Ribofunf was thrown around inside this cockpit as a heavy weight crashed down on his ganmen.

"What the hell was that!" he yelled.

"You wanna know who we are?" asked a cocky voice over the comm.

"Sorry to drop in on the party, but I just happen to love them" said a second, as cocky as the first.

"Hey, you're…!" Thymilph exclaimed, as he saw the _Gurren _and _King Kittan_ on top of the _Hawquieru,_ pummelling the armor with their fists.

"What do you think of that furball!" yelled Kittan. The beating was having no effect, but he didn't care.

"Ya! You'll take it and like it!" yelled Kamina as the _Gurr_en jumped up and down on the _Hawquieru_'s spade-head. It didn't budge.

"Umm...humans…" Thymilph tried to interject. "The weak point is…"

"We have no weak point!" Kamina interrupted. "Once we are done with this snake, you're next!" Thymilph was taken aback.

"I'm on your side now" he replied, in a monotone. At this, the two ganmen paused in their battery, and turned towards the stricken _Byakou._

"Umm…what?" mumbled a bewildered Kittan.

"What are you talking about?" Kamina was equally confused. "We're humans, you're beastmen, we can't be on the same side."

"It's a long story you guys but Thymilph and his men are on our side" admitted Kiyoh, the _Illustrious_ running over to join the Byakou.

"Woah Woah, hold the fuck up. When did this happen?" demanded Kittan.

"I made on an oath to your leader, Simon the Digger, that if I help you eliminate this fiend, he would accept me and my men into your group" answered Thymilph.

"Wait how come I wasn't a part of this!" snapped Kamina, mad at the fact that Simon would even offer the beastmen sanctuary without consulting with him first.

"It's complicated Kamina…" said Kiyoh, unnerved by his anger.

"He may be trying to pull a fast one on you guys!" protested Kittan. "Didn't think about this first!"

"I told you big brother, it's…" But Kiyoh was interrupted by another voice.

"Bro, it's fine, Thymilph and his men are our allies now." As they heard Simon's voice, they saw the _Dai-Ganzan_ walking towards them. Then they saw the _Lagann_ seated atop the command tower.

"Wait, so you agreed to this Simon?" asked Kamina in disbelief. Simon's face appeared on his screen, nodding.

"I'll tell you later, but Bro you need to trust me." Kamina stared at him, disbelieving and shocked.

"But Simon, they're"

"I know Bro. But I can't let that cloud my judgement remember? And besides, Thymilph and his men were sent to death by their own leader. They have nowhere else to go. Would we sink to this ISO group's level, just killing them outright?"

Kamina took this in. He had made Simon the co-leader of the Brigade because he knew that Simon had the smarts and know-how. What was more, he had done it because Simon had heart, something he had first seen that fateful day underground when he dug up the _Lagann, _a day that seemed like a dozen lifetimes ago.

Simon had shown that heart, he realized, in accepting Thymilph's offer. He had put his own beliefs and vendettas to the side to benefit the Brigade as a whole. He sighed.

"Alright then. I'll take your word for it Simon."

"Do you honestly think…" said a voice from the _Hawquieru_. The humans and renegade beastman looked up at the sound.

"…THAT YOU COULD BE RID OF ME THAT EASILY YOU FUCKING MEATBAGS!"

The whips flailed wildly, and the eye-doors slid open. Raging and snarling, Ribofunf turned the _Hawquieru_ towards the _Dai-Ganzan_, eyes glowing red. Everyone but Kamina and Kittan knew what was coming.

Simon's heart stopped. The _Dai-Ganzan_ was trapped in a gorge, lava was to their sides. The only way out was dead ahead, the way blocked by a ganmen that could destroy a mountainside with a single blast.

"_There's no way out_," he thought, his soul sinking. "_This is it_. _We're all going to die…and it's all my fault._"

It _was_ his fault. It was _his_ plan, _his_ risk, _his_ responsibility. This he knew, and this he could not escape.

The _Illustrious _emptied its handgun into the _Hawquieru,_ the shots having no effect. Thymilph tried to move his _Byakou_, but the maimed ganmen had suffered too much, and would not respond. Kittan was at the _Hawquieru'_s tail-end, unable to intervene. Kamina stood atop the spade-head, staring at the glowing rings that would soon destroy all he cared for.

There was but one thought on his mind, one possibility.

Destroy those rings.

Kamina ripped the shades from the _Gurren_'s plastron and jammed them into the left CPE. The _Hawquieru_ threw back its head, sending the _Gurren_ into the air.

"DIEEEE!" roared Ribofunf has he fired, aimed at the airborne _Gurren_.

And in a flash of red light, everything changed. A flash of red that could be seen from the top of the _Dai-Ganzan_, making the already-fearful Simon gasp in shock

The stream tore open a gash in the cockpit of the _Gurren_, passing through the ganmen's face and out its back.

Inside, Kamina screamed in pain, his red shades shattering and his blood boiling as the beam scorched his flesh. The beam carried the _Gurren_ further into the air…before an explosion tore it in half.

From the top of the _Dai-Ganzan_, there came a scream, a cry of grief and despair that seemed like it would set the air on fire.

"BRO NO!"

"Kamina!" Yoko shrieked, the sound breaking her shock.

"You're done meatbag!" Ribofunf twittered in joy, watching the ruined ganmen crash to the ground. There it lay, its back to him, dead.

But then the _Gurren_ twitched. It rolled over, and Ribofunf saw that it was holding another set of shades in one hand, and what appeared to be one of _Illustrious_' drills in the other.

"Me? Done? Who the hell do you think I am" wheezed Kamina. Blood ran over the cauterized flesh of his ruined torso.

"Impossible! I gored you! How could you live from that!" roared Ribofunf in disbelief.

"It's called… FIGHTING SPIRIT!" Kamina yelled weakly. With his last strength, he pulled on the controls, drawing back _Gurren_'s arm to throw the shades. As they flew towards the _Hawquieru, _they split in two, becoming _two_ pairs of shades. Spinning like throwing knives, they struck the exposed throat, widening the jagged wound.

As his life faded, Kamina saw something behind the _Hawquieru._ It was the silhouette of a galaxy.

"I…I…I don't wanna do this anymore~!" Ribofunf whined as he tried to manoeuvre his damaged ganmen away.

"You ain't going anywhere!" Kamina roared, his voice rising with the last of his life. "Finishing move!" The drill merged into _Gurren_'s right hand. The rest of the group watched in silence, awestruck, knowing what would come.

"No…No…No!"

"Explosive Dai-Gurren~!" The drill grew to three times the size of the _Gurren_.

"Nulleus! Memeins! Anyone! Save me!"

"Giga!" The drill began to spin rapidly.

"Lordgenome I beg you!" shrieked a terrified Ribofunf as the _Hawquieru_'s stubby legs began to break down, a legacy of _King Kittan_'s efforts. It tried to back away but could barely move.

"Drill!" Green energy flooded over the _Gurren_ as it leapt the _Hawquieru,_ blazing from the oversized drill like the exhaust of the rocket it resembled. Time seemed to slow down as the ganmen came on. Ribofunf knew he should move, but he could not. He could not even think.

"I want my mommy!"

"BREAKEEER!" The Giga Drill Breaker drove into _Hawquieru_'s head from behind. The ganmen's torso was obliterated in an instant, along with Ribofunf the Frenzied's mortal body. The _Gurren_ passed straight through, the green radiance dispersing to reveal the ganmen restored anew, the miracle of the Spiral energy. As what remained of the _Hawquieru_ exploded, the two sets of shades became one, affixing themselves to the _Gurren_'s torso.

The sound of the explosion faded, falling wreckage pattering on the ground like rain.

Inside the _Gurren_, the Demon Leader, the man who would have united a planet, closed his eyes and slumped his head. He had given everything.

_Everything._

Simon and the rest of the Brigade, human and beast alike, cheered in unrestrained jubilation, knowing that their tormentor had been vanquished. Kirei sighed in relief and slumped his head as he saw the large explosion.

Five words brought them back to the harsh world we know as reality.

"See ya around…you two."

They knew that voice. Simon and Kirei looked towards the _Gurren_, and saw that it was not moving.

"Bro? Bro you there?" Simon asked. There was nothing but silence as the rain began to fall. And Simon the Digger realized what had happened.

His eyes widened in shock, breath flying from him, as the truth came upon him. He threw back his head.

And he _screamed._

Kirei did not hear it.

He saw a door, open only a crack. He peered through, and saw a blood red machine, similar to the _Illustrious Kazanami_, holding a person over a pool of light blue fluid.

He saw the machine clench its hand into a fist, blood spurting between its fingers, leaving only the head to fall into the pool.

He saw the CPE blast goring Kamina, heard his cries of pain. His eyes widened and his jaw went slack as a great pain bloomed inside his head. Kiyoh felt it too, clutching her head as she shared his agony.

His mind screamed, mingling with that of the Digger

"_No!_"

The sound echoed across the blasted land.

The rain came down in torrents, and would cloud the sky the rest of the day. The commandeered _Dai-Ganzen, _who would later be renamed _Dai-Gurren_, stood like a mountain in the midst of it. Upon its deck stood the Brigade's ganmen, along with the _Byakou_ and the few remaining Grunts, all staring at the still form of the _Gurren_ as its mouth slowly opened.

Kamina's eyes were closed, blood coating his mouth. A hole had been scorched in his right abdomen, vaporizing many of his internal organs.

There was a smile on his face, even then.

The rain mingled with Yoko's tears as she held a bawling and screeching Simon to her chest.

Kirei threw himself to the deck, trying to screaming at the top of his lungs, his mind overwhelmed by pain other than his own. He bashed his head on the deck in shame as Kiyoh tried to hold him back, tears in her eyes as well.

Kittan and Makken bowed their heads in grim sorrow. The Twins and Zorthy stood silent. The Tornado brothers hid their faces against their arms to hide their tears, even though it was raining. Leeron remained silent. Kinon and Kiyal were sniffling and crying. Gimmy and Darry were making Rossiu's tunic even more drenched in the rain as he shed silent tears.

Thymilph stood behind them, along with his few remaining pilots and staff of the _Dai-Ganzan_, which included a black labrador dog beastman and his fish-girl twin lieutenants. They stood to attention, heads bowed, hats held across their chests in solemn reverence.

The falling raindrops were like tears on the face of _Lagann_ and _Illustrious Kazenami_.

It would be on that day, Kamina Giha, the Demon Leader of the Dai-Gurren Brigade, died in battle.

He would be a man that the earth lost, and could never replace.

**Well that's the end of Kamina for yeah. Not that much ISO in this chapter but it will be ISO-centered next one.**

**I made Kamina's death as epic as possible without making Gurren into Gurren Lagann. Hope you liked it.**

**I will be posting the first chapter to Vigilante either next or after Words 15, my muse must champion over my Writers block, and so must you, my dedicated fanbase.**

**40 Reviews, I must say, I am garnering quite the number, Mr. Mander and CSakuraS are the only ones higher than me. I will surpass them. Lol.**

**Beta'ed and reworded by Juubi-k, a true british bro.**


	15. Somber Clouds

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, GAINAX does. ISO, The Survivors Kirei Bachika, and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me. I also do not own Jack, Mortaco, or Salaco, those belong to Toenn Gun.**

**Also: Some passages are similar to that of Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl by Amras Felagund. Those passages are credited to him.**

"So…Ribofunf has failed…" said Mitoseiben, in a slow and deliberate tone implying that someone was going to die for this.

All of the members of the Imperial Special Operations had gathered once more in the darkness. Everyone, save for Pronein and the late Ribofunf. The purpose of the meeting was to ascertain what had happened in the mission that was supposed to have been carried out by the latter, and to decide what to do next.

"Apparently, he played with his prey for too long," reported Cloradrei, "to the point that even the _Hawquieru_'s armor was penetrated."

"Add to Ribofunf purposely making Thymilph and his men join with the human resistance, he left us a major problem before buying the farm" seethed Vesechs.

"Well someone needs to take care of this!" whined Ciliacht.

"Well we would if you stopped whining like a baby, _Lizalia_" sneered Mitoseiben.

"What was that!" Ciliacht yelled.

"Enough!" ordered Nulleus. "We gathered here to formulate a new plan, not point fingers." The two monoliths went silent.

"Say…where is Pronein? He was the one who made the plan" wondered Endozwei.

"I sent him to the Spiral King to discuss a new mission plan. In the meantime, I wish to discuss the said mission with you," replied Nulleus.

"And what would that be, Mein Leader?" asked Cloradrei.

"It goes like this…" Nulleus said, smirking as he told his plan.

Viral could not believe where he was.

Five days had passed since the Magmamarinal ganmen had sent him flying in the desert. Of that time, he had spent three days semi-conscious in the burning heat, before being picked up by a Northern Army patrol. Now he stood in a room which many beastmen had only dreamed of entering. If they ever did, it was only because of some epic act of heroism in keeping a group of humans underground, or saving the life of an important figure within the Imperial army.

However, the Spiral King did not summon normal run-of-the-mill beastmen for congratulations or praise, not _personally_ at least_._ Viral had destroyed countless surface villages in the past, had served honorably for nigh on fifty years or so, and he had never so much as _seen_ a hair of the Spiral King.

And he did not stand in there because he had been particularly efficient in preventing this planet's inhabitants from coming to the surface.

He had come to say that one of the four Divine Generals had gone missing ever since the serpentine ganmen and the human resistance appeared.

Even in his current state, even as he stood in fear of death at the hands of the Spiral King himself due to his failure, Viral found the room he was in quite a sight for the eyes. A large, circular chamber with a spiral-like pattern branching out from the center where it formed the edge of a spiralling dais leading up to a tall throne, decorated with a double-helical symbol along the front and back. The Moon shone down overhead through a circular window, and Viral could not shake the feeling that the Moon was Gazing down at_ him_ from above.

And the Spiral King himself sat upon his throne, around him were at least a half a dozen women. Every one of the women had a look of absolute ecstasy on her face.

As for the Spiral King himself, he was clearly a human. What was more he was a big one, around seven feet tall. Dull, pitted skin was stretched over thick muscles, patches of dark hair forming what looked like a spiral galaxy on his chest. His head was hairless but for short beard, his brow furrowed, lined with dismal care. His eyes were red, the irises forming a set of concentric spirals. His head was resting on his right fist, and his general countenance was one of profound boredom.

Sitting on his dais below him were two other humans, a boy and a girl. The boy was deathly pale, long black hair hanging limply around his narrow face, set in an expression of passive melancholy. His eyes were large, and a disconcerting shade of green. The girl, by contrast, wore a look of manic, barely-suppressed aggression. Her hair was red, and her eyes an energetic pink. Her tunic was red, the boy's white.

"So Thymilph Zynova, along with some of his men, has gone missing ever since the arrival of an unknown ganmen as well as the human resistance?" The Spiral King's deep voice was low, but seemed to echo around the room, coming at Viral from all directions.

"Yes milord" he said, bowing. "Due to the arrival of the Bogey, I couldn't get a precise reading of General Thymilph's location, or that of the _Dai-Ganzan_. He maybe MIA…."

"Typical," scoffed a familiar voice. "Leave it to a bumbling Gorilla to lead an entire Battalion _and_ a fortress ganmen to ruin. If he's dead, serves him right"

It belonged to the commander of the Southern Air Force, Cytomander Peaswan the Swift. He looked like a human, save for the flamboyant choice of dress and the feathers adorning his body.

"He could still be alive!" said another voice, this one female. "He and his men may be in hiding! If I know him, he is still fighting, even now!"

Her appearance was almost completely human, aide from the long scorpion tail and a single snake's eye, the other concealed behind an ornate eyepatch. Her dress was short and off the shoulders, with wide sleeves and a butterfly pattern, held tight to her curvy hourglass figure by a black basque. Her legs were long and shapely, made to seem longer by red stillettoes. She was Adiane Waterthorn, Adiane the Elegant, commander of the Western Navy.

"Even so…"droned Guame the Steady as he took a puff from his pipe. "Thymilph would have tried to get into radio contact with us. Remember, his ganmen, as well as his men, only have a 5 hour operating time outside the use of solar power. He wouldn't last the night if he was going up against this _bogey_".

Guame knew that Viral was telling the truth. He knew that ISO would do almost anything to see a mission complete, even the murder of Imperial personnel.

But making a General and an entire regiment go rogue? Guame didn't know whether to be impressed by ISO's iron resolve or disappointed at the price it demanded.

Fortunately, he was the only one in the chamber who knew the full scale of the defection. And he intended to go one being the only one. The truth would be bad for morale.

Not to mention his position, and maybe his life.

"If Thymilph and his men are fighting, why aren't _you_ there with him?" sneered the girl sitting underneath the concubines, glaring down at the supplicant. Viral flinched as Adiane turned her one eye on him, her long mouth rising into a sneer that matched the girl's.

"Your majesty…I went to the battleground but I couldn't find Thymilph and the others…the humans were missing too, as well as the Dai-Ganzan…the only thing of relevance that I found was some unidentifiable wreckage and some destroyed Grunts." Viral was shaking. "Sir… I followed protocol and radioed in for pickup…forgive me my liege." His nerve broke, and he fell to his knees, pressing his head to the floor.

"So you just abandoned him!" Adiane snapped. "He could still be…"

"You cannot criticize him just for following protocol, Lady Adiane" said the boy respectfully as he turned his eyes towards the Generals and captain.

"Thymilph was always my best friend and confidant" Adiane said with a passion. "I humbly request that you give me the opportunity to search for him and the human resistance, Spiral King Lordgenome!"

"Adiane," Guame spoke up. "Thymilph has always favored brute force over tactics, and preferred being close to his troops, instead of distancing himself from them. He was a fool and you know it"

"Guame..." growled Adiane, her teeth bared.

"And do not pretend this is just revenge for the death of a _friend_, assuming he _is_ dead, Adiane" sneered Cytomander. "We all know that you were desperate and that even you lowered your standards for a monkey like him."

"Shut up, Cytomander!" shouted Adiane, her scorpion tail lashing. "It was never like that! He treated me as a warrior…instead of a weakly, feeble, _woman_!_" _She glared at the peacock beastman with fury, then turned towards Lordgenome.

"I beg you, Spiral King!" pleaded Adiane. "I wish to set out alone with my personal ganmen and squadron, and be given an opportunity to search for Thymilph and lay waste to this human rebellion, if they are alive."

"You were in a relationship with Thymilph, I did not know about it?" droned the Spiral King, eyebrow raise, but he closed them in boredom "But very well, you will set out in a days time."

Adiane bowed low.

"Thank you, my liege, for your understanding" she straightened, smiling in a gratified manner. With one last glare at Viral, Adiane vanished in a sudden tornado of water. Guame and Cytomander glared at the spot which Adiane once occupied.

"I see that you do not approve of my decision, Guame, Cytomander?" asked the Spiral King, his tone mild.

"Sire, I have made my understanding quite clear to Adiane," Guame replied. "This is worse month than we have ever seen in the history of the Teppelin Empire. Normally, the change of seasons usually brings more humans to the surface, but this is potentially disastrous. It will require calm, swift planning to end this rebellion, not impulsive, rash action".

"I concur, although I am curious on what this bogey is" said Cytomander in curiosity.

_'Nothing you need to know, runt_' thought Guame as he narrowed his eyes to the side at the peacock beastman.

"Is there anything else you wish to say, Generals?" asked the Spiral King. The commander of the Southern Air Force shook his head, vanishing in a tornado of wind. Guame and Viral stayed.

"What else is there Guame?" Lordgenome cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, I may believe that…"

"Forgive my intrusion, but I have a proposal of the utmost importance, your majesty".

The chamber's occupants turned their heads towards the source of the interruption. A man in a black leather pants and a red hooded jacket, his face hidden in shadow, walked forward, hands in the jacket's pockets.

"Who the hell are you!" roared the girl. The man chuckled.

"None of your concern, _Anima Threesai_. Just here to discuss matters with his majesty concerning the disappearance of General Thymilph Zynova and his men as well as the human resistance" replied the man, apparently unconcerned. As he stepped into the light, a canine snout became visible under the hood, marking him as a beastman. The girl, whose name was Anima, snarled at him.

"So…ISO has sent you as its messenger boy" droned Lordgenome. The beastmen nodded.

"Yes, the mission plan involves the three General-candidates, who also happen to be my colleagues, the four fortress ganmen prototypes, and one Quantei Niju" said the beastmen smugly. At the mention of 'Quantei', the girl, Anima, snarled.

"Why bother using _that_ weakling? He's pathetic compared to someone like me. Not to mention ever since we discarded that _doll_, he's been bitching and moaning for her."

"Because unlike you," replied the beastman, "I have a use for him." Anima scowled, angered by his insouciance.

"Why would you need the successors and the Dai-Gan prototypes?" the boy asked. "And what is your name beastman?"

"Glad for you to ask, _Segundio Twoni_" said the beastman. He pulled down his hood to reveal a broadly human face but with a dog's nose. He had tan skin and a brown afro.

"My name is Mugen Kanus, also known as Member Number Nine of the Fifth Generation, Pronein."

The Ganmen fortress formely known as the _Dai-Ganzan_, now known as _Dai-Gurren_, trudged through the mud and rain. The Dai-Gurren Brigade's flag, which flew over the forest just over a week before when their ganmen squad arrived, now flew just behind the main engine, flapping wildly in the monsoon.

Inside the fortress, specifically inside its dark mess hall, Kinon and Kiyal listlessly peeled potatoes for dinner.

"It's been a week," Kinon groused, "And it hasn't stopped raining since..."

"I still can't believe it..." Kiyal mumbled.

Kinon couldn't meet her younger sister's eye.

"Me, neither..." she said sadly. "It's like when we lost Bachika Village...and our mother."

The brunette girl heard a sniffle from her younger sister.

"Why won't Kirei wake up" croaked Kiyal. Kinon had no answer, though she had asked herself many times.

After Kamina's death, Kirei had at first been banging his head against the wall. No one had any explanation for this behaviour. It could not have been grief, for he had not known, or loved, Kamina half as much as they had. All they could come up with was that his head was in excruciating pain. The cause was, needless to say, beyond them. Had he had his vocal chords, he would have spoke weakly for weeks due to the look on his face.

Kirei's headbanging only stopped after some of the Brigade members grew tired of it and tied him to a bed, whereupon he wept himself to sleep. He was cared-for by a rabbit-beastman doctor, much to the ire of some in the Brigade, who told Kiyoh and Simon that although Kirei was physically healthy, save for bruises on his crown, his mental state left much to be desired.

Kiyoh had not left his side since, except to use the restroom and bathe.

It torn up all of the Brigade members, especially the Black Siblings. Kittan suffered, but kept it to himself, knowing that he needed to stay strong. But they all knew that Kiyoh was suffering the worst.

Kamina's death was bad enough without Kirei being in a comatose state, even with the beastmen helping. Thymilph had been promoted to co-leader of the Brigade, partly due to his experience, but also because the beastmen could be relied on to follow him. It kept the _difficulties_ between humans and beastmen to a minimum.

That was not to say that Simon was not in command. On the third day, he had surprised everyone by coming out of his funk. He spent his days stalking the corridors of the _Dai-Gurren_, barking orders at anyone he encountered and generally finding fault with whatever they were doing.

The sisters could only assume that Simon had to get over the death of his Bro in order for the Brigade to survive, Kamina would have wanted Simon to stay strong and be himself. That he would do the former was unquestionable. As for the latter, who could say?

Kinon happened to glance at the door, and saw Gimmy and Darry standing there, tears in their eyes. She felt a twinge of guilt, as it occurred to her that no one had paid the children much attention over the past few days. There had been too much to deal with.

She beckoned them over. Gimmy and Darry dove into her arms, tears streaming out of their eyes.

"I miss him, too," Kinon said gently, tears of her own falling free.

"Why isn't Mr. Kirei waking up?" Darry sniffed.

"Nothing seems fun anymore!" cried Gimmy.

This puzzled the girls. Gimmy had seemed to resent Kirei, probably because Kamina had resented Kirei first and he just followed his idol. The girls suspected that as much as anything else he was bored, due to the sullen mood of the entire fortress. It was enough to get anyone down.

"I feel the same way, you guys," Kinon told them. "I wish... he could wake up…and… he could come back, too."

Not for the first time that week, the _Dai-Gurren_ stopped. One of its massive feet was stuck in the mud.

"What just happened?" Tetsukan, a human man from Ritona Village who accompanied Dayakka, called across the bridge.

"The engine must have shorted out again," replied a black Labrador beastman.

"That's the third time this week!" snapped a frustrated Tetsukan. "And you call this rust bucket a _state-of-the-art battleship_ Jack!" The dog beastman snarled.

"Not _my _fault you guys banged it up last week!" he snapped back, in no mood to be insulted. "And it's Lieutenant Jack Russell to you Shitsukan!"

"What did you say!"

"Enough!" Dayakka sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to relieve his headache. "We can't be pointing fingers over something like this. Let's just get the engine fixed so that we can get out of this region. Leeron?"

"Gotcha. Onto the Engine room."

They took the elevator to the ganmen hangar, in order to reach the elevator that led to the engine room. The doors slid open…

…and the _Gurren_ crashed into the wall opposite them.

Dayakka glanced around in surprise, and saw that a _Ganzar _Scout ganmen had been responsible. It was similar in aspect to the standard Grunt ganmen, but taller and thinner, its forehead jutting out over its eyes like the bow of a battleship. It's name was _Ungoroth_.

The _Gurren_'s mouth opened, and Yoko staggered out, rubbing her head. _Ungoroth_'s mouth opened, and a fishgirl beastmen jumped out.

"You breathin over there?"

"I'm fine", Yoko waved a hand casually. "But that was a good hit there, Mort!"

"It's Mortaco!" Mortaco yelled for the umpteenth time. "Anyway, you're getting better, but if anything, you have the skills of a corporal. Why do you want to pilot a ganmen if that rifle of yours can take potshots at regular grunts?"

"I'd like to divulge on this little tidbit of info as well," oiled Leeron, stepping in on the conversation along with Dayakka. Yoko looked to the side.

"It's to help Simon…" the shapely marksmen said. The Ritona men understood her meaning. Simon needed a good co-pilot for the _Gurren_, and Yoko was willing to oblige, so long as they could equip the _Gurren_ with the proper equipment, such as a ganmen- sized sniper rifle. They had even upgraded the _Gurren_'s targeting system.

"Let me guess, the engine decided to say _'Fuck you_' to us…again" Mortaco said, looking at the humans.

"Yep" Dayakka confirmed sullenly. He wished he had never fired that volley on the Dai-Ganzan. It seemed like just about everything he did came back to haunt him in some fashion.

"Just perfect, now we have to wait for more _Enkidra_'s to come a'raining again, _if_ they come" Mortaco whined. "Screw this, I'm going to the mess." She leapt down and walked away.

"But what about my training?" asked Yoko plaintively. Mortaco looked back at her.

"Find my sis or ask your human friends or whatever the hell. I need booze" she replied as she walked out of the hanger. Yoko looked down in shame.

Morale, despite having Simon and Thymilph keeping the human-beastman coalition together, was at an all time low. For the humans, it was because of the death of Kamina. For the beastmen, it was that the man they revered as their King had condemned them to death, for no crime other than following the leader. Neither species knew how they were going to get out of it.

A kilometer or so away from the idle _Dai-Ganzan_'s position, hundreds of metal boxes, each slightly smaller than the _Lagann_ in size, littered the bottom of a mist enshrouded valley. Most of them were weathered with age, some of them so rusted that no trace of white metal was visible.

On the valley edge above, a carrier ganmen threw out its arms and tossed a box into the valley. It was nrealy identical to the ones seen in every direction, save for that the thrown box was pure white, the others rusted in age.

It fell to the bottom of the valley, landing in the soft mud.

**Ya this chapter was short compared to my Pokemon fics, deal with it.**

**Yes, I do plan on incorporating not only the movie, but also the TV series as well(with the exception of Episode 11). Kirei is Blue-screen-of-death and Simon is sucking it up and not being a Shinji clone like in canon Episode 9.**

**Now I ask, dear readers, should I have Yoko and Simon do comfort sex(as well as Kirei and Kiyoh) or should I hold off on the lemons till the timeskip?**

**Beta'ed by Juubi-k.**


	16. Sky of Shame

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, GAINAX does. ISO, the Survivors, Kirei Bachika, and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me. **

"If Kittan doesn't step up, the Brigade is finished." Zorthy grumbled, leaning back in the dining hall.

"He is the only one who is really qualified to lead the group in my honest opinion" Ailak said, nodding in agreement.

"We shouldn't depend on Simon to lead us, despite what Kamina said that he was 'the brains'" Kidd added. "He accepted _those people_ into the Brigade when we didn't need them."

"Just because he can pilot Lagann and do fancy shit doesn't mean he should be the one calling the shots" said Ailak, looking in their direction. Zorthy put out his cigarette.

"We can't allow a kid's sentimentality to control us. We all gathered under Kamina to _fight_ the beastman, not ally ourselves with them."

There was a large slam. All of the human Brigade pilots looked towards the sound, and saw a stern Simon with a glaring Yoko at his side, her arms crossed, standing in the busted doorway leading out of the common area. Kittan was right behind her, arms in pockets. Their gazes bore down on the pilots.

"Look, if you have a problem with me, why don't you say it to my face" snarled Simon as he stared down the pilots.

"Yeah," Zorthy scoffed, swaggering over. "In fact I _do_ have a problem. Two things: One. I don't the fact that a little punk kid like you is commanding us. And two, you welcomed, with wide open arms, the very _things_ we united as a movement to defeat!"

Simon stood his ground and his gaze.

"Well too bad!" he replied, in a withering tone. "In case you haven't noticed, we have better knowledge of our enemy, more men, more ganmen pilots, and more importantly: more information regarding our _real_ enemy the Spiral King. And it was _my_ decision. Now shut up before I drill your trap sealed."

"Why you little…!" Zorthy's face contorted in rage. One hand shot out to grab Simon by the scruff of the neck. Two shots rang out, his hand freezing in mid air. All but Simon turned towards the sound.

Yoko had her pistol in the air, and Kittan his shotgun, barrels smoking. All stared as Kittan slung his weapon and stormed at Zorthy, slamming him against the wall.

"If you ever as much as _graze_ a hair on his head," said Yoko, her tone full of wrath, "I'll put a bullet in you." The rest of the pilots backed off under the Ritona and Bachika's gazes.

"Yeah…" Kittan added, glowering. "Simon placed his vendetta aside to benefit us as a whole. If you want to stay on the winning team, I suggest you do the same."

The human pilots gave them mingled looks of alarm and annoyance.

"Sure thing, _boss_," snapped Zorthy.

"Whatever," said Kidd simply.

"We apologize most sincerely," added Ailak, more than a little afraid. But as they wandered off, Yoko heard Zorthy mutter something about a _stuck-up the ass bitch_.

She ignored it, despite Simon's glare in Zorthy's direction. She, Kittan, and Simon traded glances and walked over to the cafeteria and set about loading their trays. Dayakka came wandering in as they did so, his eyes going up at the sight of their heavy-laden plates.

"Careful, you get sick for eating all that much" he commented with forced humor, sitting down with a much more modest meal.

"I have to keep my energy up," replied Yoko, pausing a moment. "Otherwise, I won't fire straight with my rifle." She then shovelled a large spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. "I mean, the remaining three Divine Generals, the Spiral King in the Capital City, this ISO group. We still have a lot of enemies."

"You can say that again," Dayakka agreed, looking down at his meal. He felt weird eating so little when Yoko was practically eating enough for two.

"The war continues," Simon looked out the window next to the table. "As does the rain..."

"Even in the rain, I can have a hot meal right after target practice or ganmen piloting. A week ago, I wouldn't have dared to imagine it." Yoko stopped eating, staring at her plate.

Dayakka didn't know what to say in the awkward silence. But still...

"About Kirei..."

The change came without any warning. Simon gasped, his eyes bulged, and his façade vanished like smoke on the wind.

"It was my fault!" he wailed, clutching his head as shame and grief erupted from the depths of his soul. "It was my plan and I blew it! Bro is dead and my best friend is in a coma because of my failure!" Yoko, horrified, stopped eating and grabbed her boyfriend's shoulders.

"Simon," she squeezed his shoulders, trying to comfort him. "We had no knowledge that ISO would intervene. It wasn't your fault." Simon took deep breaths through his teeth. Dayakka looked down.

"I guess I better head back to the bridge… the engine should be running soon, hopefully." Dayakka walked away as Yoko hugged Simon from behind.

"When will he wake up?" croaked Simon as he looked up at the shapely marksmen. Yoko felt his sadness. Kittan felt it too.

"I don't know Simon," Yoko replied, hugging him tighter. "I don't know…"

"Don't blame yourself for what happened to Kirei Simon" said Kittan as he picked at his food. Simon looked at the blond Bachika.

"But I…"

"Listen, neither us or the beastmen knew that ISO would rear their ugly heads. And besides, have a little faith…" said Kittan as he looked out the window. "He wouldn't have wanted you to worry over him to begin with. That's the type of guy he is."

Simon took this in. Kirei would have wanted him to stay strong, and what was he doing? Snapping at comrades.

But the one suffering the most was Kiyoh, who made Simon's lashings seem childish whenever something negative was aimed at Kirei. He remembered that one incident a few days ago…

Then…

Gimmy walked down the hallways, bored as he ever had been. Ever since Kamina's death, nothing seemed like fun anymore. He approached the medical wing of the Dai-Gurren. He saw a door creaked open and peeked through.

Kirei was in bed, a bandage wrapped around his head and liquid being pumped into him. As usual he was in a deep sleep. Unusually, Kiyoh was not present.

Gimmy walked in silently, not wanting to awaken the Shingann pilot. He walked over and inspected the older teen for a long time. Then a glint in the low light drew his attention to the bedside table.

It was Kirei's core drill, black and inert.

A lightbulb went off in the young Adai exile.

"I'll prove to metalhead here that I can be a hero too!" Gimmy boasted out load. "I'll be even bigger than Simon!" He took the core drill and planted it in his pocket, then marched back to the door, humming and bouncing on his heels.

Such was his high spirit that he did not notice the person coming in. The impact knocked him to the floor with the yell.

"Oh excuse…" Gimmy's excuse was cut off by the withering glare that the sleep- deprived Kiyoh was sending him. The blond Bachika's hair was wet due to her finished bath, but her bags over her eyes stood testament to several sleepless nights. Her eyes were lifeless, and she looked to Gimmy like a zombie.

"Gimmy" she said, in a low threatening tone. "What do you have in your pocket?"

Gimmy's eyes darted to the side as he started to panic a bit. He thought of Kamina and he gained courage.

"Nothing! What's it to you? Bimbo!" He instantly regretted his impudence, as Kiyoh's mouth curved to a snarl.

"What was that?" she said in a lower, but much more threatening tone. Gimmy's courage started to deflate.

"Umm…"

"Well, go ahead. Say what you just said" sneered Kiyoh. Gimmy now was starting to feel scared.

"Well. Speak up!" yelled Kiyoh. "Or do I need to shake you up a bit!" She brought her hand back to deliver a slap. Gimmy shut his eyes, waiting for the sting to come but it didn't.

He opened his eyes, and saw that Kiyoh's hand was being held back by none other than Kittan.

"Kiyoh" he said, giving her a stare. She knew what he meant. Kirei would never have approved Kiyoh striking a young child, even if it was to retrieve something stolen. Her fury disappeared, replaced with sorrow, fatigue, and regret. The buxom Bachika walked past the Adai exile and sat by the chair near Kirei's bed.

Kittan watched disconsolately as she took Kirei's hand, stroking it with affection. He could not help but pity her sorrow. It made him think of his mother, and how she must have felt when his father died, all those years ago. He looked down at Gimmy.

"I believe you owe her an apology," he said sternly. "And you need to give it back." He hadn't seen Gimmy take anything, but he hadn't needed to. The look on the boy's face told him the truth. Gimmy looked away in shame.

"I know but…I wanna be a hero…I don't like everyone being so sad…" he said. Kittan nodded in agreement.

"Same here, but you're too young for this sort of stuff. When you get older, you'll get a chance, I promise you that. But for now, leave the hero stuff to us veterans." Kittan left the room.

Gimmy thought for a moment. Would Kamina be proud that he sunk as low as to steal from a comrade?

The Adai exile walked over and placed the Core Drill on the nightstand near Kirei's bed, muttered a quick 'sorry' to Kiyoh and walked out.

Kiyoh sat there, watching over her sleeping boyfriend. Small gasps could be heard from the room as Kiyoh started to weep.

"Wake up…please…I beg you…wake up" she sobbed as she rested her head by Kirei's bedside, gripping his hand even harder. There was no response from the Shingann pilot. Kiyoh regarded his form through the think blanket, how toned and lean it was. It could be enough to…

"No, I can't do that…" she said, shaking her head, trying to force the shameful idea from her mind. "But…"

Her free left hand slowly reached below her black mini-skirt.

An hour later, Kiyoh strode out of the room, head down in shame, and headed for the showers, dropping something in the waste disposal chute as she passed.

Now...

Thymilph and Makken trudged through the mud as they patrolled the valley floor. Thymilph would normally have stayed but he was bored. When he offered to take one of the pilots with him on patrol, the only one to take him up on it was the silent, taciturn pilot of the _Moshogun_. Jack was still on the Bridge, acting as Officer of the Watch, while the rest of the leaders were doing other duties.

And Salaco was getting drunk…again…for the seventeenth time since she had joined the Brigade earlier in the week. .

Not wanting this to be as boring as being abroad the fortress, Thymilph decided to strike up a conversation.

"So…I heard it was you that restarted the combining on the _Dai-Gan_ I mean _Dai-Gurren_ right?" he asked.

"Yes" came Makken's reply.

"Where did you find it?"

"Underneath your throne"

"Huh, well I'll be…" mused Thymilph. The Gorilla thought of Makken much like a man of a few words, but who let his actions speak for themselves. He liked that sort, but a little chit chat wouldn't hurt either.

"So what's your thoughts on our alliance?" he asked, deciding on brutal honesty. "Do you love it or hate it?"

"I do not care, as long as the Brigade progresses as a whole, I have no complaints"

"Don't you hate the beastmen? Before we allied us beastmen did look down on humans"

"I have no vendetta against you. I joined because I thought that my talents would be of greater use"

This creeped out the son of Syne Zynova.

"And what would that be?"

Before Makken could answer, the two pilots heard the rumbling of a ganmen. Immediately, the _Byakou_ and _Moshogun_ brought their weapons to bear, slowly stalking through the mist.

They soon found themselves at a large valley, mist covering it for miles. A Ganzar-Courier type was walking towards them and it did not bear the symbol of the Eastern Extermination Battalion.

The two ganmen jumped into the air and came crashing down on the _Ganzar C-type_, crushing it into scrap. The two machines nodded at one-another, reflecting their pilots' satisfaction.

But then the mist began to clear. The two looked around, and saw that the valley was line with what appeared to be boxes, stretching for miles around.

"Could this be…?" mused Thymilph. He had heard rumors of a graveyard that spanned the course of an entire valley, but he never knew that they would be true.

"You know this place?" asked Makken.

"I heard of it in rumors and gossip, and I thought it was an urban myth. But if I'm not mistaken…we are in the 'Graveyard," answered the Gorilla beastman.

"Graveyard? What is…wait, I'm getting something on my scanners. It's not a beastman."

The _Moshogun_ trudged forward, stepping over the boxes, _Byakou_ following behind.

"What would a human be doing here?" pondered Thymilph. He was soon answered when they came up upon a mound from which rose a pure white box. Unlike the countless others, it showed no signs of rust or decay.

"The lifeform reading is coming from right in front of us" said Makken. Thymilph's eyes went up. There was someone alive!

"Well lets bring this one back to the Dai-Gurren", he said, shouldering his lance. "We need to save this guy." He grabbed the white box and fired his shoulder anchors to the canyon top. The _Moshogun_ followed suit.

Simon and Yoko strode excitedly into the hanger.

Apparently, Thymilph and Makken had found someone inside a metal box, one of many littered within a "Graveyard" as they called it. Simon, being the leader, had headed straight down to the hangar deck to check it out.

So far, only he and his girlfriend had turned up. The former Divine General and the short, bald man he knew as Makken were the only ones on the deck. The _Byakou_ knelt on the deck, holding out the box in front of it.

"Life scanners indicate that someone is still alive inside here," Thymilph said as his leader approached. "Makken and I tried to open it up without causing too much damage, but it's no good." The Gorilla pointed towards crowbars, hammers, screwdrivers, and other tools scattered on the deck. Simon nodded.

"I see. I'll call Leeron to bring his bots down here." Simon walked to the phone.

"Hey Simon look" called Yoko as she pointed towards the box. Just below the seam where the box could be opened, was a gray latch, which bore in its center a small indentation. To Simon's surprise, it was shaped almost identically to Lagann's ignition.

"Doesn't that look like…" mused the shapely sharpshooter.

"Ya…" replied Simon as he grabbed his Core drill and approached the box, the relic pulsing green as he drew neared. Slowly, willing his hand not to shake, Simon inserted the Core Drill and twisted.

The latch unbolted, and the box opened up on its hinge, white smoke and light pouring out. Simon and the others shielded their eyes, but the smoke dissipated after a few moments. Eyes still adjusting to the sudden flood of bright light, the digger looked into the box.

Makken's eyes went up. Thymilph gasped, as if seeing a ghost, Yoko gasped as well. Simon had a look of surprise on his face.

It was a young girl, maybe few years younger than Simon. Her figure was petite and lithe, very frail but very beautiful. Her hair was like a billowing cloud, coloured a mix of blue and yellow. She was breathing, lying in the box as if asleep, apparently unperturbed by her travel due to the Byakou. She wore a light pink dress, with golden bands curling around her shoulders, from which hung a matching cloak. A golden collar set with jewels encircled the base of her neck, matching the bracelets on her wrists and the belt at her waist.

"It..it can't be" gawked Thymilph. Yoko and Simon turned towards him.

"You know her?" asked Yoko.

"Yes she is…" he was interrupted by what could be have described as the most cutest yawn the humans and beastman have ever seen. The girl turned her head and opened her eyes as she sat up. Her eye color was out of this world, her irises resembling flowers. She gave the hanger's occupants a warm smile.

"Good day to you"

A figure walked down the halls of Teppelin within the Royal sector, the sun shining brightly through its windows.

Mugen Kanus was a happy dog beastman. The Spiral King accepted his latest mission proposal, and now he was off to meet an interesting individual.

As he continued walking, he saw a familiar face. It was almost human, save for the scorpion tail that dangled above her rear. He recognized the short purple hair, and the hourglass figure her short red dress barely seemed able to contain. Her hips swayed, and her yellow eye gleamed as she sauntered along the corridor towards him. The front of her dress was open, exposing her busom to one who was more than welcome to see it.

The Pronein of ISO grinned as he walked up to her. Her wide mouth split into a lascivious smile, opening a little more as they embraced, his tongue sliding between her full lips. They kissed, lashing tongues easily visible to those passing by. Some were confused by the display, others disgusted that they should do such a thing in public.

Plenty more were just plain envious.

"Hey sexy" growled Mugen in a low sultry voice.

"Hey to you lover" hissed the woman. She took Mugen's hand, and they strolled along the corridor.

"How's work?"

"Pay's good. I'm on my way to meet someone now"

"Oh and who might this person be?"

"One of the Spiral King's Royal Knights. We are almost at his quarters."

"The Spiral Knghts? I never seen them up close? Can I come pleaaase?" pleaded the scorpion woman playfully. Mugen bared a bashful toothy grin.

"As much as I would love to introduce you, my boss wants me to keep it on the down-low, as does his majesty". The woman pouted.

"No fair, I never know what you do…I get concerned you know" said the woman with a sad look on her face. Mugen hugged her.

"I know Codine, but my contract states that everything I do, well mostly everything, is confidential. I'm sorry babe." The woman, named Codine, smiled.

"Its fine, I understand. With the money you are getting you may impress my sister yet."

"Once I get the wealth, Adiane will see that I can support us, maybe we can adopt" said the ISO member. Codine hugged Mugen's arm as they looked at the sun past the windows.

"A child…that would sound great wouldn't it…" said Codine. Mugen nodded.

"Yeah, and with those hips of yours you could give birth to an army" he said slyly as he groped the violet-haired beastwoman's plump behind. She moaned and gazed at his blue eyes, licking her teeth visibly.

"You better come to my place tonight, I'm _starved_" moaned Codine Waterthorn as she sashayed away down the halls, leaving Mugen after touching his chin with her tail.

"You got it" called the dog-beastman after her, and continued his trek. He soon found the door and opened it with his key card.

The interior was dark, and he could hear what sounded like someone crying. He reached for the lightswitch and flicked it on.

He was on a balcony, and saw a figure lying on a bed, crying into the pillow. The figure had short, light green hair with silver streaks, brown skin, and a lithe, feminine figure, clad in a green tunic. Pronein might have found the figure attractive, had he not known the truth.

Instead he put such thoughts aside, including the position his fiancée liked best, and concentrated on the matter at hand.

"Fourth Survivor, Quantei Niju. The boy stopped his weeping and looked up, revealing his red eyes, the same colour as the gorged blood vessels that surrounded them.

"Who are you? What do you want?" croaked the boy. Pronein smirked as he stared down at the boy.

"I have a use for you"

**I promised that ISO would come into this chapter and I did. Also another 3.3k word chapter. Hopefully I can make them as long as I did with Darkmask(5k+)**

**Beta'ed and edited by Juubi-k.**

**Zorthy having 'stick-up-the-ass bitch' is an allusion to Amras Felagund's legendary 'Tengen Toppa Freedom Emerl' fic.**

**Also, sorry for the late delay. Going to move to college and both the animes Shiki+Highschool of the Dead and Starcraft 2 have been calling my name lately. It's only gonna get worse when Halo Reach and CoD Black Ops come out. If anyone wants to play live. Feel free to PM me for friend stuff.**


	17. The Typhoon of Loyalty

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, GAINAX does. ISO, the Survivors, Kirei Bachika, and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me.**

"So let me get this straight. You have no memory to how you got into that box, but you remember sleeping in there right, Princess Nia?" asked Simon.

Thymilph, when seeing the girl, had bowed and greeted her in courtly fashion, the girl replying in due kind. Suffice to say, it shocked the other three occupants in the hanger that the daughter of their enemy happened to be in their midst.

At first, Yoko suggested that they hold the girl for ransom, maybe decrease enemy morale, but Makken had replied that even with the beastmen knew that their princess was held hostage, ISO wouldn't care. They would kill her just like they would to any beastman or human they went up against to fulfill whatever dark ambitions they had in mind.

So Simon decided to interrogate the girl in a non-threatening manner, hoping to get any new intel whatsoever from Nia. So the ones who found her first decided not to tell the crew, knowing well what might happen. Should the pilots find out that the daughter of their enemy was a captive, they might get it into their heads to try something. If the beastmen learned of it, they would almost certainly seek out Nia's head in retribution against the Spiral King, so for now, better to keep the whole thing quiet.

"Yes that is correct Mr. Simon, but may I ask where Sir Quantei is?" the cloud-haired girl asked. "He is usually by my side and I am surprised to see that he is absent."

"I never heard of a 'Sir Quantei' your highness. Who might he be?" asked Thymilph.

"Sir Quantei is my Royal Knight of course," replied Nia, with a jovial smile on her face. "The strongest in the kingdom!"

"Strongest Knight? How strong might he be exactly?" asked Yoko. If this 'Sir Quantei ' was what Nia claimed him to be, they might have a worse enemy than the remaining Generals and ISO.

"Oh, he pilots the most gallant machine to ever grace the land!" Nia blushed, clasping her face, her eyes sparkling. "He defeats all those who tarnish my name in whatever shape or form with absolute grace and ease! Sir Quantei is also the kindest boy you would ever meet!"

The shapely marksmen turned towards her boyfriend of a digger and whispered into his ear.

"I think she may have a few screws loose." She didn't believe all of that fairy tale stuff as a kid, and was not taking Nia's word for it.

"Well her dad is a megalomaniac tyrant bent on keeping humanity under the dirt and toys around with furfags. Maybe it runs in the family?" whispered back Simon.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" whispered Makken, surprising the young lovers. "It'll only be a matter of time before the others find out this place. Also we need a convincing story to how we found this girl." The bald Moshogun pilot was keeping watch to make sure no one comes in on their interrogation.

"Um..right" said the couple.

"Princess Nia. Are you sure that you have no memory as to how you woke up in that container?" asked Thymilph. Although he hated the Spiral King for condemning him and his men, he considered the daughter absolutely innocent, not needing to bear the sins of her father. The girl smiled back at the Gorilla beastman, not at all intimidated by his rugged appearance.

"Not at all Sir Thymilph. I must thank you all for treating me so kindly. I am sure that Sir Quantei will thank you once he finds me."

"Of course. Let's take you to your quarters. You must be tired and all, us disturbing you from your sleep…your Highness." Simon felt awkward saying all that, but Thymilph had said to play along, so he did.

"Okay!" said Nia jovially.

"Makken, can you take her to one of our spare rooms?" asked Simon. Makken nodded and walked alongside Nia as they went out the door of the fortunately vacant cafeteria. The remaining occupants sat back in their chairs, ready to discuss another matter of equal importance. How to get more men.

"So…you said you have a friend in 'Adiane Waterthorn' Thymilph?" asked Simon.

"Yes, news of my disappearance must have reached Teppelin by now," replied Thymilph. Knowing her, she may be seeking to know of our whereabouts."

"How are we supposed to trust her? She may be in league with ISO" said Yoko, arms crossed under her bosom.

"Adiane would never work with the likes of them," insisted Thymilph, with more than a little fervour. "Guame and Cytomander maybe, but not Adiane."

"Well ISO may attack at anytime now, so we better be on alert. Adiane may want to destroy us." Simon stood up and walked for the door.

"Once Adiane finds me alive, and if I can speak to her, maybe she can join our cause" said Thymilph.

"That is… _if_ she wasn't sent to destroy us along with ISO without her knowing it" replied Simon, before heading down the corridor.

"What do you mean…you have a use for me?" asked the feminine boy as he looked up to the dog beastman.

"Well, Quantei…we have found out of Her Highnesses whereabouts…" replied Pronein in a sullen tone that belied his true intentions.

_'I love screwing with their heads. He maybe more guilable than that Anima bitch. Nulleus you sly magnificent bastard._'

Quantei perked up and ran up the stairs to the Ninth ISO member, his eyes wide with anticipation.

"You found Princess Nia! Where is she! Is she alright?" Quantei fired questions in quick succession.

"Well you see…" oiled Pronein, warming to his work. "You know of General Thymilph disappearing and the formation of the human resistance correct?"

"Yes. Rumors are flying all about the Capital. Why?" asked the dark skinned boy.

'_Here it comes._' Inside, Pronein was grinning like a madman, but he kept his tone level, giving just the right impression of gravity.

"We fear that Thymilph may have gone rogue…" The Fourth Survivor's eyesbrows quirked.

"What does this have to do with Her Highness' disappearance?"

"Well…" Pronein paused for effect. "My Secret Service has found out that a few men under Thymilph…_lured_ Princess Nia away from her chambers and kidnapped her, sending her to the Graveyard."

The Fourth's delicate face shifted. One moment it was concerned, the next minute it was furious, twisted in a deadly rage.

'_I_ _suppose he's smart enough to figure it out_' thought Pronein.

"And what does this have to do with the human resistance?" snarled Quantei in a low voice. The malice in his tone was enough to make even the hardened Pronein a _little_ nervous, even though it was precisely what he sought.

"Well…Thymilph has _allied_ with the human resistance and…" he was cut off by the boys hand. He said no more, for he could tell by the look on the boys face that he understood enough.

"Say no more," said the Knight of the First Princess, his countenance as dark as midnight. "I understand." He looked straight up at Pronein, murder in his eyes.

"What must I do?"

Pronein allowed himself to smirk. All was going to plan.

"You only need to come with me, Sir Quantei, and we will rescue your princess".

"When?"

"Within 36 hours".

Phase One was complete. Now ISO could commence Phase Two, better known as 'Operation Sonic Boom'.

Rossiu waked into the hanger of the _Dai-Gurren_. The ganmen were lined up along the walls, mechanics swarming over them like so many ants as Leite shouted off orders. One individual caught his eye.

Kiyoh, for the first time since _Dai-Gurren_'s capture, was outside of the restroom and Kirei's room. She was standing in front of the dark form of the _Illustrious Kazenami_. It loomed over her, as silent and calm as its master.

Seeing this odd development, the Adai walked over and saw that she was holding Kirei's dark green Core Drill, her hand shaking. He was about to ask why, but then realised that he already knew.

Her face was trembling with rage. Her whole body was trembling and shivering.

"Umm…Miss Kiyoh?"

Rossiu wanted to help her, even though he didn't approve of her treatment of Gimmy a few days earlier. He couldn't pilot a ganmen, and knew nothing of the fortress or its functions. He could only contribute in ancillary tasks, such as cleaning or cooking, but that didn't feel like contributing at all. He felt extraneous, even expendable.

"So…why did you make Kirei the way he is…" silently said Kiyoh in a dark tone. Rossiu took a step back, fearful to what may happen next.

"Miss Kiyoh?"

She threw the Core Drill at the ground, and raised her head.

"WHY DID YOU TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME YOU FUCKING MACHINE! WHAT DID HE EVER DO TO YOU!" she yelled as she stamped her feet, causing a few of the mechanics to turn their heads.

Before Kiyoh could think of another insult to aim at the giant Shingann, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She whipped around, face disfigured by anger, to look into the eyes of Leite. As usual, cigarette hung from the corner of her mouth.

"Ok Kiyoh, yelling at a machine ain't gonna wake him up" said the blond mechanic, rather bluntly. The Bachika snarled.

"Who are you to order me around!" She glared at the bespectacled techie, her rage finding a new target.

"I ain't ordering you nothin' girl. Just telling ya common sense"

"In case you haven't noticed, we are _Dai-Gurren_ Brigade members!" Kiyoh snarled back. "Common sense doesn't mean shit to us!"

Leite took a deep sigh, smoke escaping her mouth.

"Kamina sure didn't use no common sense, and look what happened to him" replied Leite. "You wanna end up like him?"

Kiyoh flinched, fear and confusion replacing rage.

"But..Kirei is"

"Look, if you threw your life away, and Kirei woke up, he would never forgive himself knowing that he couldn't protect you! Can't you get that in that thick head of yours!" yelled Leite. "That's why you bruisers and brawlers need some thinkers and tinkers like us. We wouldn't survive without each other in this world now would we?" Her tone quieted down as she smiled. Kiyoh looked down.

"Yeah…I guess you're right…"

"Good to know, now go to the mess and eat something." Leite's manner changed, becoming jovial. "Kirei wouldn't want you to lose your curves right?"

Kiyoh smiled, the joke restoring some of her good humour, as she walked to the mess. Leite noticed that Rossiu had watched their spectacle.

"Can I help ya?"

"Oh. I was wondering if there is anything you would want me to do," replied Rossiu. "Any jobs at all?" Leite got into a thinking position.

"Well…you could…"

She trailed off as the hangar deck shook, throwing crewmen off their feet. The entire fortress was shaking.

"What the hell was that?" yelled Jack as he regained his bearings. The bridge was in turmoil, and he couldn't be sure anyone had heard him.

"Scanners are picking up numerous signatures and one huge one," yelled Tetsukan from his station. "It's like _Dai-Gurren_!"

"What!" yelled Jack.

"I'm getting a reading! It's a fortress ganmen!"

"So…she has arrived" murmured Thymilph as he, Simon, and Yoko ran down the halls to the hanger to retrieve their ganmen.

"You mean Adiane?" asked Yoko, overhearing him.

"Hopefully. If it was anyone else they would have attacked the ship already."

"Ah crap!" cursed Jack. "Only the _Dai-Gankai_ can spew this much water!" True to the Labrador dog beastman's word, a huge wall of water now surrounded the red fortress ganmen. From the wall of water directly in front of the _Dai-Gurren_'s prow emerged its sibling, the _Dai-Gankai._

It looked for all the world like a long, purple centipede, its armoured body lean and segmented, carried on narrow legs. Sharp teeth sparkled in its grinning mouth, in between a pair of dark, curving pincers that looked capable of crushing a ganmen between them. A gunmetal-grey conning tower rose from the midsection, extending into two arms ending in serrated pincers, and a pair of stubby legs. Four green eyes glared out from it, matching the eight arranged over the mouth.

Standing atop the shovel-toothed mouth was a tall, thin ganmen, its lithe body painted white and pink. The body was shapely, with prominent breasts, wide hips, and narrow, high-heeled legs, giving an impression of femininity. White wings sprouted wide from it back, each inlaid with a glaring red and green eye. Following the convention of ganmen construction, the armour over its crotch was fashioned like a mouth, while the breasts formed the eyes.

It was a strange, unsettling sight, only hinting at it's lethal power.

"Okay then _Dai-Ganzan_" murmured Adiane within her General's Custom Marine Ganmen, _Sayrune_, standing atop of the Submarine Fortress Ganmen, _Dai-Gankai_. "Are you with Thymilph…or are you commandeered?"

The feminine ganmen leapt into the air, landing on the _Dai-Gurren_'s deck. She looked into the open hangar, and her eyes and face widened in shock, soon replaced by dire rage.

"You will all pay for killing Thymilph you monkeys!" she roared. Glowing beam whips, like those of the late _Hawquieru, _sprouted from _Sayrune_'s wrists, scoring turret and deck as they lashed.

"_Dai-Gankai_! _Prepare to fire missiles on my order_!" Adiane raised the Sayrune's arm into the air. In response, the missile and torpedo ports around _Dai-Gankai's_ mouth slid open.

"Stop! We mean you no harm!" bellowed a voice. _Gurren Lagann_ dashed out of the hangar to halt in front of Sayrune, staring down the Admiral of the Eastern Navy and her battleship.

"No harm!" roared Adiane, her blood up. "Then why didn't you just stay below ground like any good human and not kill Thymilph!"

"It is because they did not kill me!" Adiane flinched at the new voice. It was a voice she knew.

"What!" Then she gaped as the _Byakou_ ran out onto the deck.

"Adiane, it's been a while" said the Raging Wave to the Elegant. Sayrune's mouth hung open, in imitation of its pilot.

"Wha…but…these humans…you're alive…how…why?"

"Admiral Adiane, all missile tubes are ready. What are your orders?" asked a amphibious beastmen that looked like a squid.

"Do not fire!" yelled Adiane, her self-control returning. "I repeat! DO NOT FIRE!"

Silence.

'_My vocal chords are going to need a week after this_' she thought. She turned towards the grey Generals Custom and the twin-faced _Gurren Lagann_.

"What is going on? Why haven't you returned to the capital Thymilph? I demand answers to why you are with…those…things." She spat the last words, unable to call them by their true names.

"Who are you calling things?" demanded the _Gurren Lagann_'s lower face. Yoko had taken the insult badly.

"You heard me!" snarled Adiane.

"Enough!" the _Byakou _interjected. "Listen to me Adiane, it's a long story, but I think it may be better if we talk face to face."

"But…those humans"

"You can relax about that Lady Adiane" said the _Gurren Lagann_'s head. "I can assure you that you will not be harmed on my ship, unless you yourself bring harm to my comrades. Understand?"

"Trust me Adiane," Thymilph almost pleaded. "These humans are not your enemies."

'_Easier said than done_' thought the shapely snake-scorpion hybrid. All of her life, or any beastman's life for that matter, she had regarded humans as inferior to beastmen, worthy only of destruction if they dared walk on the surface. It had been drummed into her since she was born, repeated again and again and again. Why would Thymilph ally himself with them?

"Alright then Thymilph…" she made her choice. "I trust you." The _Sayrune_ raised her arm, and the _Dai-Gankai_ stopped spewing water and returned to land mode, its legs taking root in the ground. The _Sayrune_ kneeled, the mouth opening and Adiane jumped on out. The _Byakou _and _Gurren Lagann_ did the same, revealing her confidante and friend as well as a human boy and girl.

'_Not a bad body, for a human_' thought Adiane as she took note of Yoko's figure.

"So…where shall we discuss this?" she said. "I don't want to catch a cold now do I"

"Right this way milady" replied Simon, gesturing for her to follow. Adiane was impressed. At least this human knew of her authority. The redhead glared at her, but she ignored it.

The walked towards the hanger.

They could not have known that they were being observed.

Far above, in the cold night of space, a single eye stared down at them. An electronic eye to be sure, a thing that in the distant past would have been called a satellite. It soared across the heavens, but to anyone watching from nearby it would seem quite still, hovering in a geostationary orbit, seeing all that transpired.

And transmitting it live to a particular place, where there was equipment capable of receiving such a transmission. The image played out in the center of a vast, dark space.

"So then, is this the green light that Nulleus said?" asked a female lizard beastman in a maroon jumpsuit. She stood in front of a massive pyramid, each side emblazoned with a stylized human face, their expressions happy, sad, anger, and neutral respectively.

The Proto-Pyramid Fortress Ganmen, _Dai-Gansai_.

"He said that when Adiane parlays with the rebels, we would move out, so yes you git" grumbled a warthog beastman in a dark green speed suit. He stood in front of two identical vessels, narrow and sleek, their prows fashioned into leering faces.

The twin Proto-Aerial Frigate Ganmen, _Dai-Gankami_ and _Dai-Gannari_.

"So, now we can finally clean up Ribofunf's mess. About damn time, I have a party to attend" boasted a humanoid turkey beastmen standing in front of vast arachnid ganmen with a tall cylindrical tower rising from its back. Turrets lurked inside black slits in the grey armour, the legs tapering into slender drills. What passed for the spider's mouth was framed with long fangs.

The Proto-MultiMobile Fortress Ganmen, _Dai-Ganken._

"Yes indeed" came another voice, this one soft and vaguely feminine. The beastmen turned to look at Quantei Niju. Behind him was a hulking ganmen, massive at five storeys tall, painted white and green It human in shape, lean and muscular, seeming to hunch menacingly over them all, a single malevolent eye crowning its forehead. Its shoulders were covered with wide pauldrons, rising high above its head, but its greatest wonder was the antigrav unit mounted upon its back, allowing the enormous machine to fly.

"Adiane will pay for her treachery alongside Thymilph." Quantei's porcelain face twisted in dire malice, but even that did not compare to his voice. "We will make them suffer for what they have done to her Highness."

Ciliacht, Vesechs, and Mitoseiben had been told by Pronein of the Fourth Survivor's devotion to Princess Nia. When the KR Projectee was told that Nia has been '_taken care of_' by the rebels, he had been more than willing to comply. He would do anything to avenge his mistress.

_Anything._

As Quantei turned to his ganmen, the ISO members smirked, delighted by the weapon in their hands. The weapon with which the rebellion would be destroyed.

The King's will be done.

His Dagger's will be done.

**And there you have it. I am now moved into college and I will get to work on Darkmask 7 next. Hopefully my new classes won't bog me down.**

**Edited and Beta'ed by Juubi-K.**

**Also, be sure to check out the Blender forum on my profile for fanart of Kirei and other subjects relating to my fics. Enjoy.**


	18. The Winds of Change

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, GAINAX does. ISO, the Survivors, Kirei Bachika, and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me.**

"So then… you are saying that the Spiral King and this group called 'ISO', sentenced you and all of your men to death? For what!"

Adiane could not believe what she was hearing. But Thymilph hadn't just told her everything. He had included a recording of Ribofunf's declaration via shipboard audio recorders.

"We have no clue why, only that we were attacked by both a special ganmen and a squadron of Enkidras, from the TDF no less" answered Thymilph.

"Only the Spiral King has authority over the TDF…this doesn't make any sense!" yelled Adiane. In the room with her were Simon, Yoko, Dayakka, and Kittan, along with Jack. All were watching the scorpion-tailed woman with more than a little worry, intimidated by her temper.

"As much we hate it to admit," commented Jack, "we have been forced to join with these guys Lady Adiane. Afterall, the enemy of my enemy is my friend right?"

"So…is that it Thymilph?" Adiane rounded on Thymilph, half-pleading, half-accusing. "Have you really forsaken the kingdom you swore an oath to protect?"

"I am sorry Adiane," Thymilph answered sullenly. "But the safety of my men comes first. They are my family after all." Jack looked humbled.

"Boss…"

"Lady Adiane…" Simon spoke up, "if you could maybe you can return to Teppelin and be our man on the inside." The scorpion-snake hybrid looked at him as if he were a blithering idiot.

"How can I do that?" she demanded. "I have a ship full of beastmen who might tell anyone with a bit of cash to what happened here."

"Because your men are as loyal to you as my men to me," Thymilph interjected. "Right?"

As the General and Admiral's friendship blossomed, Thymilph had told Adiane to be less harsh with her troops and get to know them. She, being 'Elegant', decided against it until the Deennai Revolt, 15 years ago. The former General of the Southern Air Force, an eagle beastman by the name of Deennai Sarasine, treated his own men like dirt. Finally growing tired of his antics, his men mutinied, murdering their Commander and causing chaos in the south and some parts of the capital. Only by Guame and Thymilph's decisive actions was the revolt quashed, a few hundred beastmen dying in the fighting. Since then, Guame and Deenai's replacement Cytomander both treated their troops better. Thymilph treated his like family. Guam respected his own men, as long as they displayed the conduct expected of the Northern Army. Cytomander treated them as his students.

Adiane, newest of the Divine Generals, replacing Undekyu Greatwhite, did this only minimally. She found it hard to have respect for her men, when they looked upon her and her sister's bodies the way they did.

'_And it doesn't help that that slobbering mutt is Codine's fiancé…_' thought Adiane darkly.

"I have…somewhat…" She returned to the matter at hand. Thymilph closed his eyes.

"I see. Then in that case…"

"Umm. Mr. Simon?" said a cute and frail voice. All of the occupants turned towards the door, to see none other than Nia standing by.

_'Ah crap_' thought Simon and Yoko simultaneously.

"Who's the girl?" asked Dayakka.

"Haven't seen her around," added Kittan. "She new?"

And then it came down.

"Princess Nia what are you doing here!" exclaimed Adiane in surprise. Nia took note of her appearance. She smiled as always.

"Ah, Lady Adiane, how nice of you to be here," the frail-looking girl beamed. "I was just about to ask Simon where the bathroom was." Adiane turned towards Thymilph, who has his face in his palm. Dayakka and Kittan turned towards Simon and Yoko.

"Princess? What's a Princess?" toned Kittan. Dayakka's face darkened as he glared at Nia.

"A 'Princess' is what you call the daughter of a royalty," he said darkly, turning his gaze on Simon. "Or in other words, a Queen, or maybe… a _King._" Kittan understood immediately.

"You didn't tell us we have our enemy's _flesh and blood_ in our midst Simon!" roared Kittan, feeling betrayed at not being included in the loop.

"Look, the reason we didn't tell you is that we knew you would react this way!" Yoko protested. "And if word got out that…"

"Umm…did I do something wrong?" asked Nia. "Did I walk in on something I should not have known?"

"Your Highness" Thymilph began, "it is…"

"_Your Highness?_" yelled Kittan. "I thought you weren't aligned with the Spiral King yet you bow to his daughter!"

"If you try anything to him so Helix help you, I'll skewer you!" cursed Adiane as she sat up, glaring at Kittan.

"So that's how it is then, is it!" demanded a glowering Kittan.

"SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!"

The yell cut through the argument. All the occupants turned towards a glaring, over-wrought Simon.

"Nia was found in a box inside a valley," he said, with exaggerated patience. "While it _is_ true that she may be the daughter of our enemy," the word made Nia gasp, "that doesn't mean the father's sins are upon her. She's done no wrong, and so long as I'm in charge here, she can stay. If you have any complaints, talk now."

"Umm, Mr Simon?" asked a bewildered Nia, her voice still frail and kind-sounding. Simon turned to her, his anger deflating.

"Yes Nia?"

"What is an enemy?" she asked, her face a vision of innocence. All except Nia tensed as Kittan got up and swaggered over to her.

"Well," he snarled, "an enemy is…"

"Good day to you! My name is Nia Teppelin!" Nia cut him off. "What may I ask is yours?"

Kittan felt his fury evaporate. He just couldn't stay angry, not in the face of the purity and innocence coming off her in waves. It seemed to slide into his mind and flip all the wrong switches, giving him an near-uncontrollable urge to cuddle and protect her.

"I thought you'd never ask!" he roared, falling back on his ego. "I," he jabbed a thumb at his chest, "am Kittan Bachika! Eldest male of the Black Siblings!"

"Okay! It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kittan."

"Now look," Kittan wagged a finger. "Just because you're cute and nice and pretty and beautiful doesn't change the fact that you're the enemy."

"Did he just…" deadpanned Simon as he brought his hand to his face.

"Wow, you humans have short memories" commented Adiane.

"Oh shut up you" glared Yoko to the side, Adiane returned it full force.

"Now as I was saying, an enemy is a bad guy!" Kittan declared. "Someone you got to beat the living snot out of!"

"What is 'to beat the living snot out of'?" asked Nia. Her tone was sincere and kind. Kittan's jaw dropped. She had evidently no experience or understanding of violence, while Kittan had little of anything else. This was getting _very_ unsettling.

"Well... it's when you take your fist, and you punch the guy, and..."

"What is a fist?"

Kittan's couldn't believe his ears.

'_How much of a ditz this girl is? If the Spiral King is like this, then we could easily win this war_!'

"Well, a fist is when you go like _this _with your hand, and you hit someone with it with full force."

"Why would you want do that to somebody?"

"Because that 'somebody' pissed me off!"

"What does 'pissed off' mean?"

"WHEN YOU GET ANNOYED!"

"Kittan planned on interrogating her…" muttered Yoko.

"And yet, the Princess is the one interrogating him instead" smirked Adiane.

"Umm…Kittan?" Dayakka said as he walked towards the pair.

"Fuck off I'm busy!"

And then it came, at the force of a thousand hammers.

"What is 'Fuck?"

All of the rooms occupants blanched and turned towards the cloud haired girl.

"Umm…nothing…just a word…" said Kittan, utterly mortified.

"Yeah…just a word…" added Dayakka.

"She'll know sooner or lat…" Adiane's mouth was covered by Thymilph's large hand.

"Yep was a common word! Nothing at all!" nervously laughed Thymilph as Adiane struggled to escape her larger friend's grasp.

Nia smiled once again. Kittan was still uneasy.

_'What is with her smile? It's like starring into a beautiful sky while lying in a flower bed… after doing something you would never have a chance to do again, and yet, you are happy_' he mused.

"Well, Mr. Kittan, you have quite the fiery temper, similar to how Sir Quantei whenever someone is disgracing me, however you have answered all of my questions in a most trufthful manner and you do not... umm... 'piss me off' as you would put it." She smiled brightly as she clasped her hands in front of her face. "Thank you so very much! This has been most informative for me."

Kittan beamed like the sun in the sky.

"Well it is of no problem Your Highness. Glad to answer your questions!" he smiled.

"Wasn't he originally hostile towards Nia at first?" murmured Yoko.

"And now he's happy to even talk to her" added Dayakka.

'_Maybe she isn't as much of a threat as we thought at first' _the elder male Bachika thought. He just couldn't get Nia's eyes from out of his mind.

"Oh, and Mr. Simon, could you show me the way to the bathroom please?" said Nia as she squirmed. Kittan's eye went up.

"Uh sure thing your…"

"I can take care of it! No prob! Right his way Princess!" yelled Kittan with a boon as he escorted Nia down the hall, hearing all sorts of praise from the young girl.

"You know…I think Kittan is smitten" pondered Yoko.

"I guess so" pondered Simon. He turned towards Dayakka.

"You won't tell the pilots about this will you? I don't want them getting any ideas."

"Lips are sealed. I know what you mean" The Ritona citizen and pilot of the _Dayakkaiser_ nodded.

"It is time…." said Vesechs as he sat within his ganmen, stationed upon his frigate, _Dai-Gankami._

It was slim and curvaceous, painted black and gold, with long, curving pauldrons, elbows, and knees. Its torso narrowed in front, and stretched out behind, four wings extending from it in an X pattern. Two red eyes stared out from under a golden brow and cheek plates.

The Custom Special Forces Aerial Ganmen, _Zheuque_.

'_I wonder though, what if Nia is still alive and is amongst the traitors. The gas may not have enough time to activate and kill her_" pondered Ciliacht from his screen far below on the ground. Within the _Dai-Gansai_, stood a light brown and green mecha. Its arms and legs were cylindrical, attached to a muscular torso, topped by a narrow, cylindrical head with a single, unblinking eye.

The Custom Special Forces Land Ganmen, _Xuanwuo_.

"Well it matters not," commented Mitoseiben as the _Dai-Ganken_ walked alongside the roving _Dai-Gansai, _its drill-like legs cutting into the land as they went. "I have added a little spice to our attack strategy that will inflict absolute despair upon _anyone_ who defies both us and the Empire as the whole."

He sat within his own ganmen, mostly humanoid save for the head, which was anything but. It was a great spider, with mandibles as sharp as swords, with a bulbous abdomen reaching out behind. From this extended eight legs, bearing wings, bladed arms, and even a shield.

The Custom Special Forces Versatile Ganmen, _Qyinlone_.

"When is our ETA Vesechs?" asked Quantei. He sat, arms crossed and impatient, aboard his hulking Shingann inside the _Dai-Gannari_.

Shingann Fighter Mark 4, _Serene Suinami_.

"A few minutes sir," replied the _Dai-Gankami_'s Captain. "Our drones have moved to jam their radar system, for both the _Dai-Ganzan_ and _Dai-Gankai_. We will be practically invisible until we enter visual range."

"Alright then. You know the drill everyone. We attack the rebels from land and air, a blow so swift they do not know of it. We shall make them pay for desecrating our lands!" roared Quantei as his pulled an object from his pocket.

It was a Core Drill, bright blue in color. He jammed it into the Spiral Ignition, the Light blue Spiral gauge spinning to life, the Shingann jerking as it was activated.

"Let us leave not even remains for the carrion to feast" sneered Quantei. They would pay for what had done to his mistress and friend. His red eyes burned with fury at what perverse and terrible things they had done to Princess Nia.

'_They…will…pay_'

"You have told me many things about what an 'enemy' is, and how you 'beat the everliving snot' out of them with your 'fist' when they 'piss you off'," Nia said to Kittan.

He couldn't help but give Nia an odd look. As he walked her to and from the bathroom, he had explained everything until now, from finding Kirei to the Brigade's birth to its founder death and his little brother's coma. To his surprise, Nia was shocked to hear what things her father had done to the humans who had come to the surface, and even more so when she found out of when her father ordered Thymilph, and all of his men to death, for _no reason_ at all.

But she still held hope for her father.

"I do not believe that my father would do such horrible things without a proper reason. And at the same time, I do not think that you nor your people nor Thymilph and his men are bad."

"We didn't do a thing," Kittan growled, stopping to look out the window, pondering on how sad Kiyal had become, how withdrawn Kinon had become, and how heartbroken Kiyoh had become.

And Kirei…

"_He's_ the bad guy here after all, we just need to beat his ass and anyone that comes between us."

"Do you hate my father?" Nia asked, looking up at Kittan. The blond Bachika looked down.

"Of _course_ I do. Everyone on this ship does as well, that's why we gathered together in the first place."

Nia's eyes looked hurt, as if she was expecting an inevitable thing. She looked down, eyes closed.

"Do you hate me as well?"

Kittan looked incredulous.

"Of course I don't! Just who the hell do you think I am!" he bellowed, striking a pose in reflex. "Nia, whatever your dad did had _nothing_ to do with you! You are your own person, not your father's daughter, but the who which you, and only you, can choose to be. Don't ever let that assumption get into your head!"

She smiled up at him, causing the older man to blush.

"But yet, this Kamina person fell in battle against one of my father's chosen elite, and your younger brother is in some sort of coma. And despite all this, you harbor no ill will?"

"I already told you didn't I? I don't repeat what I said, but you have no wrongdoing in your heart Nia. If anything…" the elder Bachika stopped, fiddling around with his feet.

"Yes?"

"If anything…compared to your father, your heart is like that of a beautiful lilly…and a perfect sunny day…"

_'Ah man that came out so wrong! Stupid stupid stupid! I should have_…_Why I am berating myself for trying to hook up with a girl, who looks younger than Kiyal!_' thought Kittan as he mentally banged his head against the wall. He looked down to prepare for the inevitable…

Only to see Nia's beautiful face light up in the most sincere and kind smile Kittan had ever seen.

"Only Sir Quantei could say such things to me…no…what you have said surpassed whatever Sir Quantei could recite. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Kittan."

She threw her arms around the taller man's waist. Kittan staggered, flabbergasted.

"Umm…well...it was nothing really!" he babbled, blushing. "I mean…well…what I mean to say is…"

Then he felt a weird nagging feeling. He looked down to see that Nia was rubbing her head his chest. His face turned the colour of Yoko's hair.

_'I hope that we don't get to fight this Sir Quantei guy. If he finds out about this…he may flip out._'

The alarms blared, the sound reverberating through the corridors. All on board jumped in alarm.

"Guys, we have two large visuals heading our way!" yelled Jack over the intercom from the bridge.

"Is that a triangle and a bug?" murmured Attenborough said as he squinted through his glasses.

Mortaco raised her head from the table in the cantina, several shot glasses strewn about. Her face was a drunken red, wearing an expression of annoyance.

"Well shit me up the asshole. Barkeep, one poor suffering bitch please" she slurred as she raised her hand and tumbled to the floor. The human barkeep, a man with orange glasses and short stubble, watched with equanimity.

"I see one already" he commented.

"OoooooH, congratulations, funny guy, ever do stand-up…" she felt being lifted by her sister, Salaco.

"Lets go, you bomb-throwing drunk" she snarled as she dragged her drunken sister out of the cantina.

"Who could be attacking us?" wondered Simon aloud as he ran to his Ganmen, Yoko, Thymilph, and Adiane not far behind. "Could it be Cytomander and Guame?"

"Guame wouldn't come this far out, it's not his style," replied Thymilph. "Cytomander is a possibility but theres two battleships on visual, both land oriented."

"I'll have my men prepare for battle. Want me to handle one?" asked Adiane, somehow managing to run in heels, her busom bouncing as Yoko's did.

"That would be the most helpful you've ever done" remarked Yoko.

"And what have you done?" retorted the Admiral.

"Don't say another word!" snapped Simon, ending the argument before it could begin.

Kiyoh perked up as she stopped stroking the silent Kirei's hand. Outside the darkened room the alarms were blaring.

"An attack already?" she mused. She looked down at the sleeping form of Kirei. Wouldn't he want her to help her siblings and comrades repel the enemy?

She wiped her hand across her face, revealing a fiery determination blazing within her eyes.

" As long I breath, nothing will touch you Kirei." With that, she ran out to assist in the battle. Upon the comatose Bachika's nightstand, the Core Drill sat quiescent.

"Mr. Kittan, what is that?" asked Nia, hugging the elder Bachika as she turned towards the window, looking out to the imposing shapes as they drew nearer.

"I think they may be with your dad…"

As the _Dai-Gannari_ approached, the _Serene Suinami_ stood atop the hatchet bow_, _arms folded. Inside, Quantei noted the _Dai-Ganzan_ and the _Dai-Gankai,_ deployed in close proximity.

"So then it is fact," he sneered as he zoomed in on the battleships. "Adiane _has_ gone traitor."

The rebel battleships were moving, redeploying to meet the _Dai-Gansai_ and _Dai-Ganken_ in battle. He zoomed his camera over the Grunts, Ganzar Heavy and Artillery types pouring out of the _Dai-Gansai_. He scrolled over and saw the new _Nandagan_ fighters, arachnoid ganmen with cannons at the abdomen and chainsaw-fangs, pouring out of the _Dai-Ganken_ from it's rear abdomen.

He focussed on the _Dai-Gankai_, it's missile turrets swivelling to bear, the entire fortress moving to face the direction of the oncoming Proto-fortresses.

_'She'll probably fire torpedoes first_' thought Quantei.

He scrolled over to the _Dai-Ganzan_, seeing a few Grunts and a motley crew of custom ganmen hustling out of its hanger. Its guns turned to face the ISO forces. He noticed a red twin-faced mecha, the _Byakou_, and the _Sayrune_ among them as well. His delicate face twisted in a sneer.

"So…that's the _Gurren Lagann_ that has been causing a ruckus over at the capital…huh?"

His sneer was cut short when, as he panned his screen over the _Dai-Ganzan_, his eyes saw something in one of the portholes. His breath caught in his throat.

It was his mistress, Nia, alive and well.

But before he thank the heavens that she was alright, he saw that she looked afraid, and he saw why. A brute of a man was _holding her by the arms_.

He gasped, shocked, then his face contorted in unfathomable rage, eyes bulging and mouth distending as it opened in a cry of anathema. In his fury, his Hyper Brain Waves activated, his battlecry washing over the battlefield in thought and sound alike.

"YOU WILL TORMENT HER NO MORE, YOU FUCKING BARBARIANS! EVERYONE OF YOU WILL PAY WITH YOUR HEADS! BY HER HIGHNESS' GRACE! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"

Deep within the Dai-Gurren's medbay, a figure stirred.

Kirei's hand twitched as his Core Drill glew faintly.

**No action this chapter. But the next few will be for sure. Expect awesome from all sides.**

**Beta'ed and edited by Juubi-K.**

**If you like this, be sure to check out Darkmask and Nucleotide, my other works, as well as Juubi-K's fics.**


	19. Hatred is like a Hurricane

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, GAINAX does. ISO, the Survivors, Kirei Bachika, and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me.**

"So you guys are ISO, the same guys as Ribofunf right?" accused Thymilph as he brought his lance to bear. _Sayrune_ and the _Gurren Lagann_ did likewise.

An oblong cyclops ganmen stood atop the pyramid fortress as CPU-controlled Grunts, Ganzar-A and H types poured out. He heard the ganmen chuckle, the voice female.

"We are, Thymilph Zynova. We of his Majesty's Imperial Special Operations unit will be your undoing" goaded Ciliacht from the _Xuanwo_.

"I have a question for you guys" said Simon, face determined. "Why does the Spiral King want the humans to stay underground?"

"Shouldn't you have asked the traitors there that question? Digger?" goaded Vesechs, from inside the slim and black _Zheuque_ as it hovered amongst an entire contingent of _Auwl_-class bombers and _Falgan_-class transformable fighters. "But I will enlighten you anyway."

"To put it simply. Humans are shit. And we cannot allow the surface to be overrun with shit, now can we?" smirked the warthog.

"What was that!" yelled Zorthy

"Who are you calling shit!" roared Kidd.

"We ain't shit!" "Ya you're shit!" claimed Jorgun and Balinbow.

" What did the humans ever do to ISO? What ever did the humans do to earn the Spiral King's wrath?" charged Thymilph.

"Ya what he said!" said an intoxicated Mortaco.

"Have you ever felt that maybe once, you should ask the King why he did what he did!" asked Jack from the Dai-Gurren Bridge.

"You dare say that his majesty be questioned? You inferior waste of air!" snarled another voice. The Brigade looked up.

A white and green ganmen, looking to be a carbon copy of the _Illustrious Kazenami_ save for the cycloptic eye, descended and landed on the _Dai-Gurren_'s prow.

"Fire Fire Fire Fire!" yelled Artenborough as he slammed the buttons in a frenzy. The guns didn't respond.

"They ain't calibrated yet. Now quit ruining my ship!" yelled Jack.

"No way…" said Yoko.

"That ganmen looks like…" awed Thymilph.

"The _Illustrious Kazenami_…" finished Simon, eyes wide.

"I do not know how you recognize this design, nor do I care, but either way…" the _Illustrious_ copy hefted a long spear with a square like club at one end, a nasty spike at the other.

"You will pay with your heads for what you have done to her Highness!" roared Quantei. His thrusters flashed, hurling him forward, spear raised to gore anyone in his path.

Only to be stopped by the_ Gurren Lagann_, shade-sword drawn to parry. The S_erene Suinami_ flipped back on to the prow.

* * *

"Damn, Nia is alive…" groused Mitoseiben to his lizard comrade as the _Qyinlone_ climbed up on top of the _Dai-Ganken_.

"Nulleus said that if Nia turns out to be alive, our job is to destroy the _Dai-Ganzan_ as soon as possible. So we better get on to it" replied Ciliacht.

"What about the _Dai-Gankai_?" asked the turkey beastmen.

"I'll handle Adiane. You and Vesechs destroy the humans." The _Xuanwo_ landed upon the ground and charged, Grunts following behind, H and A types firing. The _Dai-Gankai_ responded in kind, guns and missile racks laying fire on the ground attackers. Her few Grunts charged in.

Suddenly, a flash of white and purple and two Grunts were diced in two, the _Sayrune_ standing near their wreckage, beam whips flailing and coiling like snakes.

"I'll take every one of you on! Navy! Don't let up!" Adiane barked as the _Dai-Gankai_ moved forward, still firing, to meet the _Dai-Gansai_. Adiane found her opponent standing over a heap of her own Grunts. It was the cyclops ganmen.

"Well well well, Adiane the Elegant I see?" goaded the oblong ganmen. Adiane glared.

"And you are?" she growled.

"I am Imperial Special Operations Fifth Generation Member number 8, Ciliacht the Beautiful!"

The oblong ganmen charged, hands thrusting like a raptor's talons. _Sayrune_ reached, grabbing the outstretched hands in its own. They grappled, joints groaning as they strained.

"An ugly lizard like you, beautiful? Maybe in your dreams" snarled Adiane.

"The reason I will win, is because I am more beautiful than you, fatty!"

"Don't try to compensate bitch! You're flat-chested!"

"I'll kill you cow-tits!"

"You first Mosquito Bite!"

Thymilph dodged a Charge Particle Emitter's blast as he landed on a plateau. He saw two Grunts coming at him. He jumped and roared as he brought his spear down.

"Wyvern Radius!" he yelled as the blue energy from his lance exploded like a shockwave, decimating the two Grunts. He saw a flash of red, and _Byakou_ jumped. The plateau he had been standing on had been blasted to rubble.

"Not a bad try, Son of Zynova" goaded the slim black and yellow mecha, a CPE ring stationed on its chest.

"You know my name. What's yours swine?" snarled the Gorilla beastmen as he pointed his lance at the _Zheuque_. The _Ungoroth_ joined up with the _Byakou_.

"Oh hey boss he knows ya. Friend of yours?" asked Mortaco.

"How can this pig be a friend of mine!" the _Byakou_ roared at the fishgirl, the machine actually looking angry. "You were at the cantina were you!"

"No I was gardening my rice paddie, what do you think! With all of this stress I need a drink!"

"That's the fourth time you said that this week!"

"Well I'm dying young thank you! This pig of a black mech ain't helping!"

The _Zheuque_ seemed to be irked by Thymilph and his subordinate's insult.

"I am Imperial Special Operations Third Generation Member number 6, Vesechs the Fast!" Suddenly, the black ganmen's hand glowed red, and Thymilph saw two Charge Particle Repeaters on the palms.

"Ooooooo shiny" cooed Mortaco.

"Get down!" the _Byakou_ pushed the _Ungoroth_ out of the way as a flurry of black and red bolts came flying at them, Vesechs laughing as the two ganmen ran.

"Out of my way dirtrat!" yelled Quantei as he came in for another charge. The _Gurren Lagann_ brought up the shade-sword and swung, clashing with the spear in a shower of sparks.

"You first! I'll take you down before you even think of destroying the Brigade!" bellowed Yoko as the _Gurren Lagann_ leapt back, pulled the sniper rifle from its back and snapped off a one-handed volley. _Serene_ parried every shot with its lance.

"That won't work!" Then Quantei gave a yell as the ganmen's side erupted in an explosion. The _Dai-Gurren_'s turrets were finally calibrated.

"Boo-yaah! Take that ya Kirei-wannabe!" yelled Attenborough over the fortress' loudspeakers.

Suddenly the _Dai-Gurren_ jerked as the _Dai-Ganken _struck, jabbing its front pair of legs into _Dai-Gurren_'s body, drilling in as it clamped, massive steel fangs biting at the prow.

Miles away, on top of a mound of dirt, there lay a sword and a cape. Volcanoes rumbled in the distance. The cape flew in the wind, still attached to the sword.

Then a long single piece of the cape, which was hanging on the seams, tore off and flew away on the wind.

"Get the fuck off of my ship you overgrown dickroach!" roared Jack as the _Dai-Gurren_ tried to fight off the massive spider ganmen. Effeminate laughter twittered from the Proto-Fortress ganmen.

"It is futile to resist. We will eliminate every last one of you, for treason and rebellion" cooed the mechanical spider.

Then, from the bloated abdomen, a ganmen ascended on a rising platform, arms crossed. It was human in shape, save for the head, which was an enormous spider. Its mandibles were as sharp as swords, and from its bulbous abdomen hung eight legs bearing wings, bladed arms, and even a shield.

"I am Imperial Special Operations Fourth Generation Member number 7, Mitoseiben. Stupid humans, do you really think that just because you managed to gain the _Dai-Ganzan_ that you hold the key to victory?"

'_And now for the fun part_' the turkey beastman smirked. Now was the time to add in the "extra spice". He pointed to the sky, littered with _Auwl_ Bombers dropping their bombs on the _Dai-Gankai _and _Dai-Gurren_ below, the ground lighting up with explosions. _Falgan_'s swept in, making passes at the beleaguered fortresses.

Countless workerbee ganmen, hovering in the sky above, activated their cameras.

And all around the Earth, in villages on the surface, villages that had openings to the surface, and villages that did not believe the surface even existed, the Capital city of Teppelin, Watscrik City, Anno Archipelago, Hidikae Mountain Resort, and Vernapolis, images of the battle unfolding appeared, along with the ISO forces, mainly the Proto-Fortresses and the Special Ganmen.

Lordgemone watched with mild boredom as he saw the Brigade in battle with ISO.

Segundo remained silent stoic as ever as he saw one of the screens pan over the _Serene._

Cytomander was sitting back drinking wine as he watched with mild interest aboard the Aerial Fortress Ganmen_ Dai-Ganten_.

Guame looked like he wanted to kill somebody, his subordinates making sure they do not irk their leader as he sat in his throne within the Invinvible Land Fortress Ganmen, _Dai-Gando_.

"Are those morons that stupid! They are supposed to be the Spec Ops! Not friggin Evawood!" he fumed. If ISO doesn't succeed, he'll have to get the Fifth himself.

Mugen Kanus, or Pronein, watched with a neutral look on his face from his screen, the other monoliths of ISO remaining silent.

'Damnit Adiane you had to go align with Thymilph! Why did you have to hurt Cody like that!' thought the dog beastman as he bit his lip.

"Why are they fighting Adiane!" shierked Codine as she jumped up from her bar-stool, watching in morbid horror as her sister duked it out with the _Xuanwo._

"Heh, that red ganmen looks mildly interesting", said Anime as she sat back on her pillow littered bed.

'Maybe that weakling may prove something after all if he can kill that red one. Doesn't mean he's stronger than me' thought the redhead.

"Hey Don! Cousin Diddy! You won't believe this!" yelled an old Gorilla as he slowly limbered back into his house, the screens high above Watscrik.

A boy with purple hair and glasses looked in horror as he looked up to the screen above his village.

"We will show every human on and below the surface, just what happens to impudent naked apes who get to try think big and try to ascend above ground!" Mitoseiben continued, exultant. "And that's not all! We will also show the beastmen the might of our glorious empire and what happens to those who dare defy his Majesty's will!"

Mitoseiben's voice rumbled around the globe as humans and beastmen alike looked to the images in the sky, some in fear, some in curiosity, some in enjoyment, and some in awe.

"Every human who climbs to the surface, every beastman that goes rogue, _every_ _living thing_ who rises up against Spiral King Lordgenome Teppelin, even if is _his own daughter_ gets too smart for her own good, he will have them killed without as much as a second thought. That is how the Spiral King does things. And this planet, no…this whole entire star system, and _all in it_ need only cower before the absolute power of his dagger! **The Imperial Special Operation Mechanical Eradication Regiment**!"

* * *

"Daughter?" Qauntei said to himself as the _Serene Suinami _recovered from the volley and the sudden movement of the _Dai-Ganken_ and _Dai-Gurren_ battling for supremacy. Why would Mitoseiben say that?

The _Serene_ stood up, only to see the _Gurren Lagann_ training guns on him. It was carrying two sniper rifles, with two similar rifle barrels appearing on the shoulders, and another two barrels at the hips thanks to it's pilots spiral power.

"Take this!" roared Yoko and Simon as they opened fire, blue, green, and even red blasting out of the gunbarrels and straight for the Shingann.

Quantei took to the air and dodged the multi-prong blast, creating a massive explosion on the _Dai-Ganken_. It reached to its pauldrons, and pulled out two knives.

"I don't think so!" the dark-skin boy yelled as he flew back down, taking the brunt of Yokos well placed shots, chips of armor being destroyed and replaced with a flash of green. The _Gurren Lagann_ brought the rifle to defend itself, only for the knives to slice through it. Simon growled as it leapt back, dropping the ruined rifle and grabbing the shade sword. He split the blade in two, and _Gurren Lagann _charged back in, roaring.

"I won't let anyone die! No more! Not as long as I breath!" declared Simon as he came on.

But Quantei was ready, setting his spiral power to work. His daggers extended, becoming swords to parry the shade-swords.

"You think you find yourselves fighting for rightouesness! Hypocrisy! It is because of you that Her Highness is…" the two broke off and began duking it out in a flurry of strikes, dodges, and parries.

_'Her Highness_?' thought Yoko as Simon and Quantei dueled, blades gouging armour as they flashed back and forth.

"Our glorious Empire was in a state of prosperity! And you rats just had to come to surface, making chaos and disorder everywhere you go! Was this the standard which you lived by! The standard of that mockery of a human piece of shit you called a _leader_!" yelled Quantei as he switched to reverse grip and swung at the _Gurren Lagann_, who defended, catching the blade in a deadlock.

Simon and Yoko's eyes went up. Flashes of Kamina went through their minds, all of the good times, the bad times, all leading up to his heroic demise. The two glared and roared.

"Who are you to know the loss of the one we loved!" They yelled in tandem, striking and destroying the daggers. Quantei's eyes bulged in rage.

"You are pretty damn close! What did you do her! Tell me you heathens!" The _Serene_ sprouted drills from its palms and swung, destroying the shade swords.

"Who are you talking about!" barked Simon, bringing _Gurren Lagann'_s fist back, now riveted with drills. He punched _Serene_ in the chest, but Quantei swung back just as hard. They reared their fists back, and swung, the _Serene_'s left fist meeting _Lagann_, and the _Gurren Lagann_'s right fist meeting the _Serene_'s head.

A cross-counter as both ganmen jumped back.

"Don't try to act naive! You know what I speak of!" Quantei shrieked. "Unhand her! Unhand her now! **Unhand Princess Nia**!"

**So ya, this chapter for Words…not as long as I liked, but it is part 1 of the action. Hope you all are enjoying this. Right now, I may be writing shorter maybe due to me not being at the fun parts(Ep 12-15, which will be a lot more funner to write, and I will make it longer when I get there).**

**And I watched Gurren-Hen recently and decided to add in the cameras scene, so expect epicness to come soon though.**

**Next one is Darkmask, followed by Giver then maybe this again or CMM(my most popular fic, gaining over 100+ visitors a day whenever it's updated)**

**Edited by Juubi-k.**


	20. Heavenly Breakthrough Part 1

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, GAINAX does. ISO, the Survivors, Kirei Bachika, and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me.**

"Wait, what?" said Simon, bewildered. He remembered Nia mentioning a 'Sir Quantei' a bit before this battle. Could this man be…

"Don't act like you don't know! You know of what I speak! Unhand her this instant!" snarled Quantei as he charged, fist riveted with drills. _Gurren Lagann_ jumped, avoiding the attack which instead struck one of the _Dai-Ganken_'s drilling legs, destroying it in a shower of metal fragments. But Quantei recovered, leaping to tackle the escaping _Gurren Lagann _and bearing it to the ground, crashing through sweeping _Falgan_s as it went.

"What did you do to her! What did you do to soil her purity! Her innocence!" roared Quantei as the _Serene Suinami_ held the _Gurren Lagann_ by the throat. The _Gurren Lagann_ struggled with all its might, trying to pry off the Shingann's long arms.

"We didn't do anything to her!" yelled Yoko, her fighting spirit manifesting as two sniper barrels on the hips of the _Gurren Lagann._ They fired point blank at the _Serene_. It didn't budge but its grip loosened as the _Gurren Lagann_ kept up the struggle.

"Lies! I saw that brute of a man holding her with fear in her eyes! I'll make sure!" A boost of Spiral Power ran through the _Serene,_ granting it the strength to hoist the _Gurren Lagann_ up.

"That you!" he swung the _Gurren Lagann_, still gripping its throat, "Will pay!" He suplexed the symbol for humanity into the ground, the impact shaking the bedrock.

"We accepted Nia! We didn't anything to harm her person!" yelled Simon. He couldn't believe it. The _Gurren Lagann_ was being defeated.

"Liar!" Quantei threw the _Gurren Lagann_ high into the air and leapt after it, thruster blazing green. The Shingann reached its apogee, hovering for an instant above the ascending Ganmen, then clenched its fists together and hammered the _Gurren Lagann_'s head, sending it down again.

On the embattled _Dai-Gurren_, Nia could only watch in horror as Quantei, her beloved knight, took Simon and Yoko to the cleaners, whatever that meant. She knew that he would go to extremes to protect her, but this?

"It isn't safe for you here," Kittan said, holding her close. "We should get you to one of the bunkers." Nia's face reflected the conflict within her, then she looked up at the blond Bachika with determination in her eyes.

"Mr. Kittan. I need you to take me to where Simon and Yoko are now." Kittan looked incredulous.

"Are you nuts! Those ISO guys maybe here to kill you! There's no way I'm taking you out on the battlefield!"

"But if you do not take me to Simon and Yoko, then Sir Quantei will surely finish them!" replied Nia desperately. "Let me speak to him and we can have him as a most powerful ally." Kittan was shocked by her suggestion, and more than a little awestruck at her confidence in her knight's loyalty.

"But if we take you out there, those ISO guys _will_ aim all their guns at you and…"

"Since this attack is being broadcasted, I'll reveal to my father and his servants that I am alive and siding with the enemy, I know" finished the princess.

"Nia…"

"Please Mr Kittan" Nia pleased. "I need to talk to Sir Quantei. Let me reason with him. Please!"

Kittan looked down at her, then at the battlefield, where the _Gurren Lagann_ was still motionless, the _Serene_ casually walking forward. _Byakou_ and _Ungoroth_ fired pot shots at the sweeping _Zheuque_, which in turn fired with CPE and CPR bursts, attacking friend and foe alike. The _Sayrune_ and the _Xuanwo_ engaged in a vicious dance of beam whips and bladed disks, their pilots yelling curses at each other. The Brigade pilots were fighting hard, humans and beastmen alike, destroying any enemy ganmen who got close. But the Ganzar H and A types, deploying from the _Dai-Gankami, Dai-Gannari, _and _Dai-Ganken, _laid in with their heavy weapons. The _Falgan_ fighters made strafing runs, harassing the beleaguered warriors as _Auwl_ bombers emptied their bomb bays on them.

They needed help. And if convincing an over-possessive frothing lunatic of a Royal Knight would help turn the tide, then so be it.

"Okay, you're riding with me! Got it!"

"I'll be than happy toeeep!" Kittan hoisted Nia onto his back and bolted down the hall.

Simon groaned as he shook away the stars.

"You okay Yoko?" he asked.

"I'll live, but this guy…" Simon grimaced at the approaching _Serene_.

"No kidding. I never fought anyone this strong since…since…."

"Ever. This guy is the strongest opponent we have encountered" finished Yoko.

"Yeah…this guy is the strongest…but if we can defeat him this battle is ours!"

The _Gurren Lagann_ charged, drills extending from its wrists as it struck. _Serene_ caught the blow effortlessly.

"Is this what the bastion of humanity has to offer?" Quantei sneered as the _Serene_ clenched its fist, destroying the _Gurren Lagann_'s right hand.

"And you say that you fight for the side of righteousness!" He punched the _Gurren Lagann_ in the gut, knocking it to the ground.

"Don't make me laugh! Do you have the resolve to become the guardians of justice and order! Do you have the determination to uphold the banner of law and prosperity of the innocent beastmen and subjects of the Spiral King! Do you have the reason to ensure the peace of a thousand years rule brought by our ruler! Do you have anything resembling that at all! HUH! DO YOU!"

The _Serene Suinami_ crouched over the prone _Gurren Lagann_ and punched it in the chest. The _Gurren_'s face and sunglasses cracked under the impact.

"You have none of it!" _Suinami_ struck again, and again, beating on the ganmen's chest like a creature possessed. Spurts of red energy burst from the cracked plastron, almost like droplets of blood.

"None! None! None! None! None! None! None! None! None! None!" The Shingann relented, just long enough to grab the _Dai-Ganken'_s severed drill-leg. The Shingann raised the weapon over its cyclopean head, the executioner, ready to strike.

"JACKSHIT NONE!"

The drill-leg came down, spearing through _Gurren Lagann_'s stomach. Blood-coloured spiral energy spilt from the entry and exit wounds. Yoko screamed in pain.

"Yoko! No!" yelled Simon. Visions of Kamina being gored by the _Hawquieru_ assailed his mind as he fought to raise the right arm. But _Serene_ was alert, grabbing the arm.

"You do not proclaim peace!" The Shingann pulled, tearing the arm in half down its length, red Spiral energy gushing like blood. It took the mecha's left leg.

"Only Chaos!"

It drove a fist up through the ankle, shards of metal and composite flying in all directions. Not yet satisfied, the _Serene Suinami_ reached to grab one side of the crippled _Gurren Lagann_'s chest.

"And anarchy!"

And with a mighty effort, the Shingann ripped the torso apart, tearing the great black shades to pieces.

"You go around making wives widows and children orphans! As you destroy the livelihoods of beastmen families everywhere!" Quantei roared, his rage unabated. "You use your cursed tongues to turn fellow beastmen traitor, with promises of power and lies of grandeur!" He tore at the _Gurren Lagann_'s ruined body, venting his fury on the lifeless wreck.

"Know you not the sorrow the beastmen have suffered! It is not beastmen that are evil as you so claim! Humans are!"

At last, the _Serene Suinami_ took hold of the _Gurren Lagann_'s head, lifting it up for all to see.

"Is that!" yelled Jack in shock. No one replied, for the crew were paralyzed with horror.

"Oh my!" gasped Leeron.

"It can't be!" gasped Dayakka.

"Simon! Yoko!" yelled Thymilph, before dodging another CPE blast.

Kiyoh and Kiyal, who were manning the turrets underneath the _Dai-Gurren_'s prow, gasped in horror as they saw what occurred below.

"Simon No!" wailed Kiyoh.

Lordgenome watched with boredom, not surprised that his Royal Knight was able to trump humans.

Segundio watched with mild interest but said nothing.

Anima looked with curiosity and a newfound respect.

"I gotta say, push all his buttons and he becomes a real monster. I shoulda done that years ago when _he_ was around" sneered the redhead. Then she sniggered. "Oh wait…I already did!" She burst out laughing, amused by her own wit.

The beastmen all throughout the world roared with cheer and glee.

The humans who were watching gasped and fell into despair.

"And it is for that reason, not only for Princess Nia's welfare, that YOU MUST BE DESTROYED!"

Red Spiral energy fountained up as the Shingann tore the _Gurren Lagann_'s head clean off. _Serene_'s single eye gleamed in malign triumph, clutching the _Lagann_ in one hand while tossing the hero of humanity's ruined torso aside.

Deep within the medical bay, Kirei stirred.

"I'll allow your woman to watch," Quantei hissed, "as I take your life, like I how I dismantled your spirit, Simon the Digger." A drill emerged from the palm of _Serene_'s left hand.

"Now give up! And die!" he snarled as the drill loomed closer to the _Lagann_'s cockpit.

"_Lagann_'s gonna…!" Kiyal couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence. Kiyoh did not hear her, but kept up her fire, squeezing the triggers until her fingers went numb.

'_Please hit! Please hit!' _she pleaded silently. Shells whipped past the looming Shingann, but its pilot did not seem to care.

As Simon saw the drill loom closer, he felt that old fear. That familiar fear he felt back before the Gurren Brigade was founded. After that, whenever they faced something strong and terrible, they always pulled through, somehow. All thanks to his bro and his never-say-die attitude.

But his bro was dead. Yoko was probably injured, and unable to use Gurren's systems. Everyone else was tied up in their own battles. He clenched his eyes shut, and curled up in a fetal position.

"I'm sorry bro…I tried to be you despite what I said…and I failed… I failed everyone…I" he whimpered as the drill was just about to…

"Don't give in Simon!" yelled a certain voice. Simon perked up, as did Quantei.

"What the!"

_Serene Suinami_'s right arm fell to the ground, freshly severed by _King Kittan_. Quantei roared in pain, gripping his right arm, eyes bulging. The Resonance Ratio made him feel the damage as if it had been inflicted on his own body. He pulled on the controls with his free hand, causing the _Serene_ to leap back.

"Simon! It doesn't matter if you're Kamina or not!" It was Kittan, his voice bellowing over his ganmen's loudspeaker. "You gotta be the you that only you can become! You are your own person, not Kamina, but the who which you, and only you, can choose to be!"

_King Kittan_ hosted its pink spear and shield, the _Kiyalunga_ in weapon form, and stepped in front of the maimed _Gurren_ and _Lagann_.

"Kittan…you…"

"Simon… are you okay…?" breathed a female voice. Simon gasped.

"Yoko! Are you okay!" Simon ran the _Lagann_ over to the _Gurren_ and leapt out. He looked into the open mouth and there, sure enough, was a somewhat worse-for-wear Yoko. A scar disfigured her shoulder, blood seeping out, and blood ran down her face from a wound under her hairline.

"That drill leg missed me by an inch, a few bruises, nothing serious."

"Oh thank god! I thought I lost you!" Unable to contain himself, Simon jumped in and hugged Yoko, face buried into her bosom. The redhead chuckled.

"Don't be stupid. Who the hell do you think I am anyway?" she asked with a smirk, Boota popping himself from her cleavage to squeak in agreement. Simon laughed with joy.

"It makes no difference!" roared the _Serene Suinami_'s loudspeaker, ruining the moment. "You will all experience the same outcome! What happens to those who defy the Spiral King!" In a green flash of spiral energy, the severed arm was restored.

"Sir Quantei Niju of the House of Lady Shichna!" barked a feminine voice. The Shingann stopped in its tracks, and turned to see who had spoken. _King Kittan_ opened its mouth and out came Nia Teppelin, arms raised, as if daring the _Suinami_ to walk through her.

"Your Highness!" The Shingann immediately dropped to one knee.

"I order you to stop this barbaric act of violence against my friends at once!" she ordered.

"Bu-Bu-But your Highness! Were they not abusing you! Were they not the ones who kidnapped you?" Quantei could not believe his eyes. Nia, his beloved Princess, was okay! But…

"Hear me my knight!" Nia called out, her voice high and clear. "The ones who removed me from my sanctuary at Teppelin were not the agents of Sir Thymilph or Lady Adiane! It was…!"

She was cut off as the _Qyinlone_ fell from the sky to crash down on the _Suinami_'s back. It jammed a single spear with it's legs through the Shingann's back and pinning it to the ground, making Quantei scream in pain.

"Mitoseiben! What is the meaning of this treachery!" yelled Quantei, feeling the spear as if it had pierced _him_ and not his Shingann. The spider ganmen chuckled.

"I have admit you did well, disabling the _Gurren Lagann_ like that, and you have our thanks. But now…we'll finishing this from here, without you!" the turkey beastmen pressed a button, and the spear revealed two red orbs. The spear glowed red as the Spiral Nullification Devices, added specially for the occasion, came online. Mitoseiben chuckled as the _Serene Suinami_ ceased its struggling.

"Sir Quantei no!" gasped Nia.

"You'd strike down your own comrade! And you call _us_ evil!" roared Kittan.

"Oh please" drawled Mitoseiben. "Like that impudent genetic failure had such a devoted white mentality! Hypocrisy and slander! His rant of _justice_ and _order_ was enough to make me sick!" The spider-like head turned towards _King Kittan _and spat what looked like a web. Kittan sliced it with his spear, closing the ganmen's mouth, Nia dropping into his lap.

"I can't stand guys who stab their comrades in the back! I'm taking you out ISO bastard!" _King Kittan_ charged towards the _Qyinlone, _and the newcomer brought it's bladed legs, and sword and shield, to bear.

"Have at thee!" _King Kittan_ barrelled straight into_ Qyinlone,_ but the spider ganmen held firm. The two machines stared into one-another's eyes, unrelenting and fearless.

"I'll see you dead, human!"

"You first!"

Serrated blades emerged from the rim of _Kiyalunga_'s shield. Kittan swung it to slam the spider ganmen, only for the four legs to cross and repel the attack. The lower four legs propelled the _Qyinlone _forward, sword raised to kill. Kittan parried the blow, and the two ganmen clashed again, faces pressed against each other.

"This battle is nowhere near over!" cackled Mitoseiben. "We will obtain Priority 1! We will quash this rebellion! All in the name of His Dagger!"

"Not as long as I breathe you won't!"

Wind whistled through the _Dai-Gurren_'s medical bay, the window having been blown out by a stray shot. Out of the blue, a strip of red cloth, originally from a cape tied to a sword many miles away, fluttered in. The wind dropped, and the strip hovered in mid air over the motionless figure on the bed.

And then a hand closed around it.

Kirei Bachika opened his eyes and breathed and listened.

He stood and walked towards the window, seeing the battle rage outside. Determination blazed in his eyes as he removed his hospital gown, got into spare clothes and grabbed his core drill, red cloth still in hand.

The mute Bachika ran down the hallway to the hangar…

Far away, a sitting figure perked his head. If his face was shown in the darkness, he would have been smirking.

"So…you have awoken at long last…Fifth." The figure stood up from his darkened throne and walked over to the window. The view was the Earth below in all of its majesty, and the dark recesses of space to either side.

The figure turned around and sat in a computer terminal. A pillar of Nulleus appeared alongside Memeins.

"He's awake?" asked Memeins.

"He is. I can feel it" confirmed Nulleus.

"How strong do you think he is?"

" Very. Much like myself when I was his age"

"Will this be the last operation for ISO then?"

"If we succeed, we would gain the Fifth and the Priority 1, as well as quash this rebellion. If we do not, then Lordgenome will disband and reveal ISO for its failures, thanks to Mitoseiben's 'extra spice'. But either way, I have all the time in the world."

"You do? Neither myself, Cloradrei, Flagvier, or Endozwei have that luxury thanks to your _deal_ with _them"_ retorted Memeins in a worried and resentful tone.

"Don't worry Mem. We will succeed within 10 years give or take, whether the Teppelin Empire withstands this or not, and besides…." The figure smirked.

"Just who the hell do you take me for?"

_King Kittan_ roared as it charged, lashing out with spear and shield. _Qyinlone_ defended itself with the blades on its lower arms, along with its main sword and shield.

"You cannot hope touch my _Qyinlone_, filthy naked ape", taunted Mitoseiben, blocking and parrying every blow, revelling in their deadly dance.

"No matter how hard you may struggle for your goals, no matter how determined your will to achieve them, you will never achieve all that you hope to accomplish!"

Blades and spear, shield and shield locked, and the opponents glared at each other between their weapons.

"As if I'll let Sonuvabitches like you get away with what you have done!"

"Please! As if you call yourself justice? Fighting for humans below the earth? Don't make me sick! You, like you or me or my comrades or your comrades, are a flawed species!" Both ganmen leapt back. Nia squirmed in Kittan's lap, making him blush. Then the ganmen resumed their duel, locking blades.

"You may think that humans are perfect, but in fact you are wrong! Humans can be just as cruel as ourselves! You say you fight to defeat the _cruel_ Empire, an empire that has kept order for nearly a thousand years! So long as I, Mitoseiben the Graceful, yet draw breath, I will never allow you barbaric ruffians to destroy the order which we have created!"

"If your definition of keeping order is suppressing the kind and innocent humans below the ground with earthquakes and massacre!" Nia retorted, appalled, "then that order should be dismantled!" Kittan looked at her in confusion.

"Uhh…yeah! What she said!" The _Qyinlone_ stood stationary, and began to cackle. The cackle rose into insane, shrieking laughter, as the ganmen pointed up into the sky.

"Look at us! Both claiming we fight for justice but look! We enforce racism and seek to keep humans below our feet! You enforce anarchy and chaos in order to create a new order! We have the entire world, human and beastmen, looking upon us! Don't you see! This battle is the turning point of an age! Whoever becomes the victor of this war…."

The _Dai-Gurren_ hangar door caved in, the _Souzoushin_ and _Moshogun_ crashing into the far wall.

_Illustrious_ _Kazanami_ stood in the gap, seemingly indifferent to the battle raging between the fortress and the _Dai-Ganken._

The _Dai-Gankai_ kept circling the _Dai-Gansai,_ guns roaring, land-torpedoes and missiles leaping from launch tubes, the pyramid fortress returning fire with guns and Charge Particle Emitters. The _Dai-Gankami_ and _Dai-Gannari_ circled the _Dai-Gurren,_ laying fire with missiles and CPEs, _Falgan_s darting between them to strafe the enemy fortresses. The Ganzar A and H ganmen kept up their endless barrage.

"…WILL BECOME THE TRUE DEFINITION OF JUSTICE!"

Nia stared up at the billowing clouds of smoke wreathing _Dai-Gurren_ and _Dai-Gankai_, as the Proto-fortresses and their ganmen poured fire into them. She knew that _Dai-Gankami_ and_ Dai-Gannari_, even with their aeriel ganmen, had not firepower enough to destroy them, but even so…

She reached from the blond Bachika's lap to turn on _King Kittan_'s locator. She frowned.

"Why?" Nia asked angrily. "Why is Father doing this? Why has he abandoned me?"

"Entertainment, amusement, any sort of word like that"

Nia and _King Kittan_ turned, the_ Zheuque_ flying high in the sky, out of reach of Thymilph's _Ronginshu_ lance. Vesechs's face was being projected on one of the screen, a sinister grin upon his pig face.

"His Majesty Lordgenome, his Royal Knights, and the Elite 5 of ISO had been gifted with immunity to the effects of age thanks to a LPL," Vesechs said. "They have all lived over two hundred years now. Inevitably, we underneath the mentioned groups all developed hobbies due to our shortened lifespan. Ribofunf developed a fondness of slaughtering pig moles for his meals. Ciliacht took to making herself as beautiful as possible despite her lizard-like body. Mitoseiben loves to throw extravagant parties. I myself took to speed racing and marksmanship. And his Majesty…" Vesechs paused, as if savouring what he was about to believe.

"His Majesty considers raising children a simple pastime. And when he grows tired of one, he just disposes of it, regardless of gender or favor." The warthog ISO member grinned, showing pig-like teeth, true to his species. "Just like he would a doll."

Nia's heart fell out from under her. All of the humans and beastmen fighting each other stopped to listen to what the ISO member had to say.

"A doll...?" she whispered. Memories flashed through Nia's mind of when her favorite doll had fallen apart, but when she presented it to her father, he merely presented her with a doll identical to it, disposing of the old one.

_Dolls that are useless must be trashed_, he had said.

"You asked him _Why was I born?_ Princess," Vesechs continued. "How did you ever receive such a thought in your fragile little mind?"

"He came…he was kind to me…and…" Nia remembered the kind masked man giving her a new toy saying he was on orders from her father to play with her that day. He did, and he had asked that same question to Nia.

"_Why were you born, your highness?"_

The _Qyinlone_ then stepped forward, its pilot cackling.

"Of course your own father would despise you," sneered Mitoseiben. "After all, why would a doll, a play-thing, a toy, need self-awareness?"

"I was just... a doll... to him?" Nia whimpered, tears forming in her eyes.

"Precisely!" sneered the two ISO lieutenants.

"That's not true! You're no doll Nia! You're a person like me and Simon and the others! Don't listen to what these bastards spew from their mouths!" snarled Kittan. In a towering fury, he charged his ganmen towards the _Qyinlone_, and once again the two mecha clashed.

Then, in a shriek of tortured metal, the spider ganmen's legs gave way.

"What!"

"Chew on this!" _King Kittan_ jabbed its spear for the killing blow, only to be disarmed by a red energy beam. The _Zheuque_ dived in at breakneck speed, slamming into _King Kittan_ with an accelerated kick, sending the yellow ganmen crashing against the rock face.

"Why you…" growled Kittan as he prepared to charge the two ISO ganmen again, only to fall flat on his face.

Or rather his ganmen's face.

He felt a massive weight atop his _King Kittan_. It was laughing haughtily at him.

"Ho ho ho ho ho! Did you really think that you can do as you like? Petty human?" sneered Ciliacht as she stepped on the _King Kittan_, holding it down.

"Let's grab the red ganmen too! We can show all the humans and our empire that we have accomplished what the 4 Divine Generals could not!" Ciliacht walked over to grab the maimed _Gurren_, but stopped as she inspected the ruined, headless torso.

"Huh? Where did that mini-ganmen go? The pilot of this wreck is gone too!" As the words left her mouth, the ground exploded under her. _Lagann_ burst up, flying up at her like a launching rocket.

"We won't" snarled Simon, who sat on Yoko's lap, both gripping the controls.

"Let you…" continued Yoko as _Lagann_ came crashing down towards the three ganmen.

"GAIN VICTORY!" they yelled as the three ganmen scattered.

"Ciliacht you fool! The other ganmen!" roared Vesechs. Ciliacht's face paled.

"Don't tell me that he can!" she said, a drill appeared on _Lagann_'s underbelly.

"Goddamnit!" cursed Mitoseiben.

_Lagann_ descended on _Gurren_, its drill rapidly burrowing into its battered shoulders. The fallen ganmen let loose a burst of emerald light, sending the three ISO ganmen scattering.

_Gurren Lagann_ stood reborn.

Even as the radiance faded, the ganmen was leaping high into the air. Four drills emerged from its back, impaling a _Falgan_ fighter that just happened to be there. The drills retracted, drawing the captured ganmen into the _Gurren Lagann_, manifesting as a pair of wings.

_Gurren Lagann_'s new flight engine fired up, a crucifix of emerald light blasting out from the red mecha as it hovered before the black _Zheuque_.

"What in the world...?" Vesechs gasped.

And at the same time, emerald light erupted from the _Dai-Gurren_'s hanger. Two drills speared forth, catching the human pilots off guard.

"What the!" Zorthy yelled.

"Dodge it!" gasped Kidd.

The two tendrils speared two more unfortunate _Falgan_s, snapping them back in like flies on a frog's tongue. An instant later, something burst from the hangar, a mighty shape cutting through the air to join the _Gurren Lagann_.

For a few moments the two mecha hovered together in a sphere of green radiance, lighting up the battlefield around them.

"Huh?" was all Yoko could say before Simon's face lit up with joy and renewed hope.

Floating right beside them was the _Illustrious Kazenami_, reborn and renewed with two sets of wings, like those of a butterfly. Its eyes glowed a verdant green as it looked towards the _Gurren Lagann_. Then both Simon and Yoko felt a familiar, and yet new feeling within their heads.

"_Sorry to keep you waiting. Lets show these guys what it means to screw with the Dai-Gurren Brigade"_

"Kirei…you're" Simon breathed. Yoko looked down at him in surprise.

"That voice in my head, it's…"

"_That's right Yoko. Don't be alarmed. I have an oath to fulfil." _Kirei appeared on _Lagann_'s screen, smiling towards the duo. Simon nodded, wholeheartedly.

"You got it!"

The sphere erupted, all of the cameras turning towards the two mecha standing side by side, arms crossed. Even more surprising, the Lagann's hatch was open, Simon and Yoko standing, arms crossed, side by side. The _Illustrious_' throat opened, and Kirei stood as well.

The mute Bachika was wearing simple black trousers, along with a blue vest, much like Simon's, with the Dai-Gurren symbol on it's back. What was surprising was the addition of what appears to be a red headband, sailing in the wind as both humans stood at attention.

All across the world, this was being displayed.

Lordgenome stood up from his throne. For the first in his life since the creation of his empire and _that_ incident, he was shocked. He gazed at the gray haired human as if he had seen a ghost.

"Brother?" was all Segundio could whisper as he too stared in awe and surprise at the gray haired human.

Anima was speechless, her face contorted in shock and fear.

"How…could…he….be….alive" was all she could stutter. She made sure. She made sure he was dead. She made sure!

"God damn those humans!" cursed Viral as he stood at the military base cantina within Teppelin, watching the battle unfold. Nearby, Mugen Kanus watched with horror.

"Well well? What have we here?" mused Cytomander, leaning on his palm in amusement.

Guame snapped his pipe, his fury needing no audio.

Now the Fifth has been seen. Seen by the Spiral King. Seen by the rest of the Empire. All because some god-damn turkey decided to blow this entire operation out of proportion. Not to mention that gaining more favour with Lordgenome would be more difficult, as Cytomander would know as well.

Worse, the Fifth might be _too_ strong for him to tame and bring to the Spiral King.

Pronein's head would roll. No question.

The beastmen in various cities gasped, and the humans awed in wonder.

The pilots and personnel of the Dai-Gurren Brigade couldn't believe their eyes.

"Kirei is back!" yelled Attenborugh.

"I'll be damned…" whispered Jack.

"We'll I'll be!" said Thymilph.

"Who's that?" asked Adiane, glancing around for an explanation.

But no one was more relieved and overjoyed than Kiyoh, as she hurried to the bridge to see the object of her affections, the love of her life, awake and well. A tear started to form in her eye as she wiped it.

"Oh thank god…you're okay…" she whispered to herself.

Kittan and Nia looked up in wonder and awe.

"Kirei…" Nia looked up in confusion.

"Kirei? Who is this Kirei?" she asked. Kittan remained flabbergasted, not able to answer her question.

Quantei climbed out of the cockpit of the gored _Serene Suinami_ and gazed up, seeing the _Gurren Lagann_ and the _Illustrious Kazenami_ floating before the three ISO ganmen. He gasped when he saw the black ganmen.

"Gokami?" he said to himself, remembering his little brother who went missing fifty years ago after a freak accident along with his mother's death, the first Survivor and the first and only Human-Beastmen hybrid in existence.

Prima Primera.

"_Simon, you will dig our way to freedom, and I'll destroy the ceiling for the rest to follow. This I swear to you"_ said Kirei to the blue haired digger's mind. Simon nodded.

Both pilots closed their eyes.

"Kamina is dead…" proclaimed Yoko.

"He is gone…" followed Simon.

"_And will never be replaced"_ continued Kirei. Both pilots opened their eyes, a raging fire blazing within them.

"HOWEVER…" they both yelled in tandem audio and mentally.

"Upon on our backs…" Simon and Kirei's jacket billowed in the wind high above the ground.

"And within our hearts…" Yoko pointed into the spot inbetween her breasts with her thumb.

"_And within our clenched fists"_ Kirei clenched his fists.

"HE WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE ON WITHIN US!" the pilots bellowed.

"Whaaaaaaaaaa!" gasped Mitoseiben, face twisted in shock.

Both pilots pointed up, the lights from the camera ganmen and the light of the sun breaking through the smoke-filled sky.

"If you're going to dig…"

"Aim for the top! Dig to the Heavens!"

"_No matter the obstacles or ceiling binding us down…"_

"Even in death I will dig through…"

"_Even in spirit I will destroy…"_

"For once we burst through… VICTORY IS OURS!" roared Simon and Kirei in tandem.

Mitoseiben gawked. "What the? What are you talking you about!"

"Just who the hell do you think we are?" asked Yoko. Kittan, Nia, Quantei, and the humans gazed up in awe.

"I'm Simon, and this is Yoko, and Kirei."

Jack and Dayakka and Kinon and Kiyal could only gawk. Kiyoh placed her hands over her heart in bliss. Leeron nodded in approval, along with Thymilph. Adiane stared in awe and wonder along with Mortaco. On the battlefield, all was silence.

Salaco peeped out of a window outside the _Dai-Gurren_, witnessing the scene while sucking on a lollipop.

"What's going on out her- aw shit" she said and went back into the Dai-Gurren.

"Fuck year!" yelled Mortaco from the Ungoroth, breaking her silence. "This is better than trucks kicking pigs!"

Vesechs decided to place the fish girl on his list of "Which Rebel to kill" but was too flabbergasted to do so.

All three ISO members could only gawk in disbelief.

"Neither me…" Yoko.

"_Nor myself"_ Kirei.

"Nor I can be my bro. We are ourselves!" Simon and Yoko reached for their goggles and Kirei tightened his new headband.

"SIMON THE DIGGER!"

"YOKO THE SNIPER!"

"_KIREI THE DESTROYER!"_

The hatches snapped shut, _Gurren Lagann_ conjuring a rifle and _Illustrious Kazenami_ a knife. Ciliacht was infuriated.

"Why you little!" Her ganmen changed, now head to toe in bladed discs, saw blades, with two Charge Particle Emitters on the breasts for good measure.

"Gimlet Diviiiiinne!" _Gurren Lagann_ grabbed its recovered shades and slammed down on the demonic Cyclops ganmen, snarling it with multiple shades, interrupting its attack. The outline of a spiralling galaxy could be seen behind it.

Simon and Yoko both gripped their controls. Kirei looking over, worried as they began to weep. Memories of Kamina swept through them…the good and the bad…

But it was time to let him go. To stand up and be strong…know right from wrong… and forever hence…and to believe and be…

Yourself.

Simon and Yoko whipped up their heads, cleansed of sorrowful tears, as they yelled as one mind, one being.

"Finishing Move!"

_Gurren Lagann_ cocked the rifle…

"**GIGA**…"

A drill three times the size of _Gurren Lagann_ appeared at the nose of the rifle, an impossible wonder of Spiral Power.

"**DRILL**…."

They aimed…

"**BUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAH**!"

The drill tore through the air, sonic booms hissing away from it. It speared Ciliacht, and the demonic ganmen evaporated with a hiss. The shades returned to the _Gurren Lagann,_ as a shell popped out of the rifle, and an explosion boomed across the land.

The Dai-Gurren Brigade, human and beast, cheered as one, straining their lungs in jubilation. The tide had turned.

At Teppelin, Viral was shaking, ashen-faced.

"Impossible! Kamina's dead! He's been dead this entire time!" he yelled.

"Ciliacht…." whispered Mugen in horror, as his comrade faced the same fate as Ribofunf.

"Tch" scoffed Cytomander. "I guess someone as ugly as her deserved to bite the dust to a lowly human so easily"

"Why you damn shitty humans! Our justice won't be defeated so easily! AND NOT BY THE LIKES OF YOU!" roared Mitoseiben as he charged toward the _Gurren Lagann_, sword raised to sever its head…

_Kazenami_'s knife caught the blade, then twisted, the sword flying from the spider-ganmen's hand. It flew around and came on again, spearing towards the dark Shingann, legs spread wide.

"ARACHNOOOOPRESS!" The spider ganmen constricted the Shingann with all eight legs and human arms, despite the damage to four of them. The spider's weight bore the _Kazenami_ down, the entwined machines hurtling to the ground. Simon and Yoko turned and flew after them.

Within the Shingann, Kirei saw memories flash before his eyes as the _Qyinlone _constricted _the Illustrious Kazenami_…he saw a beautiful woman in long brown hair and a fox tail grabbing his hand…he saw himself playing with 2 other boys, on pale with black hair and green eyes, the other dark skinned with green hair and red eyes. He saw his guardian, cupping his cheeks and kissing him…he saw himself in bed with her…his guardian…Dr. Rizuko Inuzaki.

He saw Simon…staring up to him by the lakeside…

He saw Kiyoh…as they kissed by that same lakeside…

His eyes lit up as his throat glowed green and breathed in, his spiral gauge spinning clockwise with a white meter…

Drills burst from the Shingann's skin, as well as a pair of shades, like those of the _Gurren Lagann_ but upside down and serrated. Drills and shades struck and slashed at the _Qyinlone_'s arms and legs as they emerged, forcing the spider loose.

Kittan gasped. "No way!"

Simon awed. "Those glasses!"

Yoko finished them both with two words.

"In midair!"

Mortaco looked like a child in a candy store and cheered.

"HERE COME THE DRAGONS!"

The glasses popped off as the _Illustrious_ threw them at the _Qyinlone_, splitting into four as they flew.

"FINISHING MOVE!" roared a teenage male voice from the _Illustrious,_ catching everyone on the battlefield by surprise, even the enemies. The glasses ensnared the _Qyinlone_, sending it spinning until it stopped, the shades binding its legs and arms. Behind the Shingann was a spiralling galaxy.

"**GIGA!"** _Illustrious_ raised it's left arm…

"**DRILL!"** The drill grew three times it's side, and aimed at the spider ganmen…

"**MMMMMM-BREAKEEEEER**!" and rocketed towards the _Qyinlone_. Mitoseiben gave one last "GOBBLE!" before the drill gored his ganmen. The serrated shades returned to one, affixing themselves to _Illustrious Kazenami_'s chest, as _Qyinlone_ vanished in a bright flash.

Everyone was in shock. Had Kirei's voice returned?

And then the battle shifted. _Dai-Gurren _and _Dai_-_Gankai_ renewed their fight, punching, slashing, stomping, and even eating the Grunt ganmen trying to overrun them.

"Take this!" yelled all of their personnel.

Meanwhile, the Brigade's ganmen rallied, eradicating the artillery squadron in a storm of fire and blades.

"AND THAT!" yelled the pilots. Mortaco hiccupped.

Vesechs sped at _Dai-Gansai,_ ignoring the pleas of the deck crew to land at breakneck speed. He leapt from the cockpit the moment his ganmen was still, and sprinted to the command center.

"Damn it!" he snapped, taking a seat. "Damn that Pronein! His plans got us in this damn mess and…!"

"And what? My dear Vesechs?" toned a haughty voice more oily than Mitoseiben's. The warthog's head turned towards his screen, his face darkening in recognition.

"What is it Flagvier! I am very busy right now!" The Siamese cat beastmen chuckled at his temper. .

"Oh nothing, in fact I am glad you are alive my dear warthog. It would have been a pain to activate the trial system if any of you had died."

"Get on with it!"

"The Spiral King is quite furious that you revealed ourselves to the world this way, in fact he is going to disband ISO when this battle is finished, win or lose." The cat's face contorted in a snake-like grin.

"But you will be correcting your errors…with the Supreme Combined Proto-Fortress Ganmen Kamikaze Bomb!"

At the moment he said it, the _Dai-Gansai_ rumbled and the _Dai-Ganken_'s legs blew smoke and fire. The aerial frigate sped off into the sky…

Vesechs gasped. "You mean…"

"Oh yes…Nulleus sends his regards. See you in hell. Ta-ta!" The image on the screen was Flagvier's face, twisted in a maniacal grin, before a series of words replaced it.

**Dai-Gankaminari Saiken combination sequence initiated.**

**Authorization given by first generation member number four Imperial Special Operations officer, Flagvier the Treasoner**

**All personell are to abandon ship.**

Vesechs ran towards the door, but it slammed shut. He was thrown from his feet as the _Dai-Gansai_ fired its rocket boosters from under, the _Dai-Ganken_ following after with the thrusters at the seven legs, one destroyed.

It remained that way until they reached the atmosphere and began the combination sequence…

**And that's chapter 20. Kirei is now awake, Kittan gets in on the action, and Simon realizes that he isn't invincible.**

**Also, this is the longest chapter I have ever written! Hope you all enjoyed it!**

**Next chapter will be the epic conclusion to this battle, so stick around.**

**Also, that part when the Serene trashes GL was similar to Granzeboma thrashing TTGL in the Lagann-Hen movie. Expect a heavy Rebuild of Eva 2.0 reference next chapter.**


	21. Heavenly Breakthrough Part 2

**Edited by Zaru and Juubi-K**

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, GAINAX does. ISO, the Survivors, Kirei Bachika, and Illustrious Kazenami belong to me.**

As the Dai-Gurren Brigade erupted, cheering in jubilation as their enemy fled to the skies, Quantei couldn't help but feel disturbed.

"This was their last ditch operation. Operation Sonic Boom was an all or nothing mission, so why?" mused the Royal Knight to himself as he looked up from his pierced shingann.

Within the _King Kittan_, Kittan gathered his wits and walked his ganmen toward the downed _Serene Suinami_, spear in hand. Quantei noticed and nodded.

"I have acted against you, Princess Nia," declared the dark-skinned, somewhat feminine boy. "In my anger over your disappearance I have brought harm upon you and to your newfound friends. I shall accept whatever punishment you bring onto me." He bowed his head, waiting for the mighty spear to come down and crush him.

The ganmen's mouth opened, and Nia walked out. She didn't seem half so angry as Quantei had throught.

"You fought valiantly for my sake under the lies given to you by the ISO. You deserve no punishment, my good knight" said Nia with a serene smile upon her face. Kittan steppedout and stood by her side. The Royal Knight's eyes narrowed at the blonde man.

"I trust you kept her well?"

"Ya, don't worry about it. Couldn't say about yourself though, trusting those ISO bastards like that." Quantei's face darkened.

"They _were _my trusted allies before they decided to become too pig-headed. Don't you reprimand me for something beyond my control, ruffian!"

"What was that!" Kittan snarled. "Say that to my face if you can!"

"Please stop fighting both of you!" The two pilots immediately stopped and looked towards Nia. "Right now we should be celebrating in happiness and joy now that we have made our enemy retreat. This is not the time for fighting anymore." The cloud-haired Princess turned her eyes on Quantei.

"Sir Quantei, what I am about to ask may be hard for you, but will you continue to serve by my side? As you did for as long as I can remember?"

Quantei was about to burst out "Yes, Your Highness!" but his train of thought sped along. If he remained loyal to Nia, he would be betraying Lordgenome and his big brother, Segundio. He would be a traitor.

But then again his little brother, whom he had thought dead, was alive and well. He would not feel alone, _and_ he would have his Princess.

"I shall hear and obey, Your Highness." Quantei bowed. Nia beamed.

"I'm glad! The Dai-Gurren Brigade would be happy to include you inour festivities once I explained to them that you have joined up with us!"

"I will have to consult and apologize with your present leader at this time," Quantei replied levelling. "Simon right? I also need to inform him of something important." Kittan's eyes quirked.

"About what? Simon and my lil bro sent those guys with their tails between their legs and…"

"Bro? You mean brother, correct?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"He is my brother, not yours!" scowled Quantei.

"Huh? The hell are you talking about? Kirei ain't no brother to you" sneered Kittan.

He was offended. This guy, who was his enemy only moments ago, now claimed his adopted brother was _his _brother? The nerve!

"Kirei? That is not his name!"

"Yes it is bozo and…!" Kittan stopped. He remembered Kiyoh finding him deep underground in some beastman outpost not too long ago. She claimed to have found him floating in a tank, in a deep sleep.

"You're his brother right? Then what is his name?" asked the blonde Bachika. Nia looked from one to the other, confused.

"Is there something I am not aware of?" she asked.

"The pilot of that black shingann, the Shingann Fighter Mark 1, _Illustrious Kazenami_. The father and original of all shinganns. The only one who could pilot the _Illustrious Kazenami_ with a Resonance Ratio of only 10%..." Quantei paused, as if for effect, or preparing to reveal some terrible secret.

"…Is my younger brother and nephew, Gokami Cinqus Primera, who has been presumed dead for 50 years."

* * *

High above in the atmosphere, on the verge of space, the _Dai-Ganken_ rolled over, showing its back to the planet below, and latching itself to the _Dai-Gansai_'s base. The effect was of a spider, with one leg missing, clamping itself to a pyramid.

Two of its remaining legs extended, attaching to the _Dai-Gankami_ and _Dai-Gannari_.

The frigates themselves changed, multiple rods jutting out and the thrusters shifting up, as if aiming to jet towards the earth.

The legs brought the clamped frigates back in together, connecting to the _Dai-Ganken_. At that moment, the abdomen of the spider fortress ganmen opened like some great eye, revealing a massive pupil. The ends of the frigates connecting to machine did likewise. Then the _Dai-Gansai_'s tip began to open, revealing a massive thruster framed by long spines. The frigates and connecting spider legs did so as well, facing away from the earth.

Deep within the dark confines of Teppelin, Flagvier the Treasoner watched with glee, hands clasped over his mouth and elbows firmly on his desk. He gazed upon the new construct on his screen with great fascination.

The machine was truly enormous, even when compared to the other fortress ganmen. The radius of the "pupil" of its central eye alone was roughly equal to the height of one of the shingann, and also home to one of the few defense mechanisms of the machine. The body was vaguely amoeba-like, the giant eye marking in its middle where the _Dai-Ganken_'s abdomen once was, save for one destroyed appendage around the pyramid.

Supreme Combined Proto-Fortress Ganmen Kamikaze Bomb, _Dai-Gankaminari Saiken_.

He turned to his computer and looked through the schematics of the bomb, noting it's armaments. It had an attached defense drone near the primary core of the bomb, capable of seriously complicating any attempt to disarm it.

That is…if anyone got even _that_ close.

It was the _Kaminari Saiken_'s great weakness. The full effect required the bomb to detonate while the core was intact. If the core was breached first, then the reaction would not take place, and bomb and fortress would be destroyed for nothing.

Of two defence mechanisms, installed to ensure such a thing did not happen, one was the multiplicity of rods jutting out of the _Kaminari Saiken,_ each tipped with a Charge Particle Cannon and its own automated targeting system. Anything that approached to within 100 metres could be swiftly destroyed.

The other was the so-called Trial System, otherwise known as the Overdrive System. Its purpose was to detonate in perfect synchronization with the bomb, completing a complex and potent reaction, with an effect like no other. The explosion would wipe out one-tenth of the Earth's surface, tilt the planet's axis, and the after-effects would mark history forever.

"Once this comes to fruition…" tittered the Siamese cat beastman. "History, through all times and space, will know ISO was here." He shivered, his body quivering under his fur as hysterical laughter shrieked from his feline throat.

The outer limbs of the _Kaminari Saiken_ began to fold in towards the main body, and a shield enveloped the machine, a sphere of midnight black. Bands of colour ran over it like sunlight on oil, radiating from apex to apex. But always the core was black and red, a foreshadowing of its deadly intent. The fortress that was a world's doom began its final descent, the decay of its orbit precisely calculated to land on a specific point.

The Hotspot which was home to a massive Caldera. The place where Ribofunf the Frenzied met his end.

* * *

As the _Gurren Lagann_ and _Illustrious Kazenami_ landed on the deck, the people roared their approbation as they ran to greet the two mechs. Their respective pilots emerged, standing before the crowd of human and beastmen. In an instant Simon and Yoko found themselves being inspected by Sal for injuries, bombarded with questions by Gimmy and Darry, all as the crowds cheered, whooped, and whistled.

"Mighty damn good job Simon!" boomed Thymilph as he patted the back of the much smaller digger, remembering to control his strength lest he send the boy flying.

"You sure showed those sons-of-bitches who boss 'round here!" added in Kidd.

"Kicked Ass!" "Really kicked ass!" bellowed the twins.

"Doubts…gone" praised Zorthy.

Yoko and Adiane stared at each other, both doing their best to keep their expressions neutral.

"Umm…nice job" said Yoko, hand sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.

"Likewise" mentioned Adiane, doing the same.

As Kirei walked slowly towards his celebrating comrades, his heart leapt to see Kiyoh come bounding forward. He ran to her, meeting in an embrace of love nearly lost.

"Oh thank god…Don't ever scare me like that ever again! If you ever do that again I'll…I'll…" Kiyoh sniffed as she tightened her hug on her shorter lover.

"_I know Kiyoh. Forgive me for worrying you"_ replied Kirei as he nestled his head between her melons. They pressed their lips together into a passionate kiss, their hearts dancing on air, until breaking apart to breathe.

"It's fine. Kamina's death must have hurt really bad to make you fall into a coma huh?" Her boyfriend put his head on one side, as if confused by the comment.

"_Actually…it wasn't Kamina's death that caused the pain. It was something else._"

Now it was her turn to be confused.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"_I didn't have the time to set up a mental link with him. You relayed my thoughts to him, remember?"_ Kiyoh perked up.

"That's right! Hey wait, who was that voice in _Illustrious Kazenami_? Was that you?" Now others began to circle the now-mute boy.

"Hey did you get your voice back?"

"How did ya do that?"

"That was awesome! Doing that in midair like that! You gotta teach me that sometime!" chirped Mortaco. Kirei began to get nervous.

"Sorry boys and girls, but the hero isn't a fan of crowds!" Kiyoh took Kirei by the hand and they walked towards Simon and Yoko.

"Kirei! Did you get your voice back?" asked Simon. Boota squeeked in agreement.

"_No unfortunately. It appears that with 'fighting spirit' my vocal chords were temporarily revived"_

"Of course, just like how _Gurren_'s leg buckled down during that time and with fighting spirit it regenerated for the moment" finished Yoko. Simon nodded.

"Well either way. Welcome back, bro" Simon held his fist out. Kirei smiled.

"_Likewise, bro"_ and they bumped fists.

"Okay Pretty Boy hold still" toned Salaco as she began to look over Kirei, irking his much more buxom girlfriend.

"What are you doing?" Salaco looked at her in annoyance.

"Making sure he isn't wounded or anything. Relax Rapunzel, you'll reunite with your Prince Chamring in no time. Also, how did he get his voice back or am I losing my mind, which is plausible" asked the fishgirl doctor.

"It's a long story, if you like we can explain later" said Simon.

"Meh, fair enough. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll have to tie down my drunk of a sister before she drinks away all of your booze in 'celebration'." As the fishgirl doctor walked away, Simon and the group of friends turned towards the _King Kittan_.

Which was being followed by the _Serene Suinami_. Yoko hoisted her rifle to take aim.

"Kittan what are you…!"

"Simon please don't shoot!" it was Nia's voice. All stopped at the sound of it.

"Nia? What are you doing on the _King Kittan_? Where is my brother?" asked Kiyoh.

"I'm here sis, it's a long story but we got an ally now" gestured Kittan as he pointed towards the advancing _Serene_. The rest of the ganmen rallied behind Simon.

_Serene_ stood before the group, and looked down at them. The mighty shingann knelt and Quantei jumped out, landing lightly on the deck.

"I trust you are well?" he asked. Simon and Yoko scowled at the feminine boy. Nia ran forward.

"Please Simon, accept Sir Quantei into the Dai-Gurren Brigade!" pleaded Nia. "He was used and betrayed by the ISO for their own evil purposes! Please forgive him!"

"Nia, how can we be sure if he isn't tricking you" replied Simon, glaring at the feminine boy.

"You doubt Princess Nia?" snarled Quantei.

"What are you gonna do about it!" barked back Simon, the memory of Yoko almost being killed still fresh in his mind.

"Simon relax!" Kittan interjected, rushing to restrain him. "I can vouch for him! ISO did try and kill Quantei here. Just let bygones be bygones!"

While all of this was transpiring, Kirei remained rooted to the spot, shock written across his face as he observed the Royal Knight in front of him. Quantei felt himself being watched, and turned towards the silver haired Bachika. He paled, and ran towards him only to be stopped by Kiyoh, who stood protectively in front of Kirei.

"Who are you? What do you want?" she demanded.

"Gokami? Gokami is that you?" Before Kirei could respond, a voice boomed over the loudspeaker.

"Guys! We got trouble!" This caused the celebration to stop as they looked towards the command center. "We got a massive object heading this way! It's the four fortress ganmen from before! They're coming back!" boomed Jack over the loud speaker.

"We dealt that much towards ISO and they still can fight!" screamed Iraak.

"You gotta be kidding me!" added Zorthy. Quantei's eyes rose up in fear.

"I know what is coming! Please you must listen to me! I beg you!" Simon turned towards him.

"Why should we?"

"Because I'm your only chance! If we don't stop the _Kaminari Saiken_, we are all going to die!" he yelled.

"Kaminari Saiken?"

"Those fortresses from earlier! They can combine!"

"Like the _Doten Kaizan_?" Thymilph asked. Quantei nodded.

"Yes. But instead of a super combat fortress, _Kaminari Saiken_ is a gigantic bomb. And when used right, it has enough power to incinerate ten percent of the planet's surface AND change the earth's axis!" Leeron looked shocked.

"You're kidding me…that's just breaking the rules..."

"This has to be a trick! He was with the enemy just before ISO high tailed it out of here! He could be with them..." snarled Adiane, glaring towards the feminine boy.

"Lady Adiane, Sir Quantei has no reason to lie, and with how he is reacting it only furthers his claim" insisted Nia, coming to her knight's defense.

"Please believe me! If we don't stop that fortress, we are all dead. Please!" begged Quantei to the digger. Simon's mind was in turmoil. Should he trust the word of the man who nearly killed his love, his reason for fighting? But then again, if he was telling the truth, then…

"All right I believe you. How do we stop it?" Quantei looked at into the sky, seeing the red blip of light that was the end of the world…he looked towards Simon and the group.

"We need to destroy the central core, by catching it with our hands."

Reactions to this statement followed a common theme.

"No way." Thymilph.

"Horseshit." Adiane.

"Impossible." Zorthy.

"Insanity." Leeron.

"Guess I better binge before the end." Mortaco.

"Even I can't do that in my dreams." Some random guy.

"It's our only option!" Quantei snapped. "If we fly up there, their CPC's will shoot us down, it has a shield to defend from any missiles that get through. Our only chance is to have myself, Simon, and Gokami intercept _Kaminari Saiken_ with our ganmen and destroy the central core! We can utilize our Spiral Fields to stall the bomb from colliding with the ground and when we destroy the core, we can destroy the bomb before the detonator goes off!" Simon look puzzled.

"Who's Gokami?" The feminine boy pointed towards Kirei, standing by Kiyoh holding hands.

"He is. He's my little brother and the Fifth Survivor."

Kiyoh and Kirei looked puzzled and confused, but Kirei's eyes went up.

One of the boys in his flashback a few minutes ago…the boy with green hair and red eyes with dark skin…

"_Could he…"_

"Look we don't have time for this!" Kittan yelled, interrupting his thoughts. "Get to your ganmen you guys! You got a bomb to stop!"

Quantei, along with Simon and Yoko, nodded as they ran towards the _Gurren Lagann_. Kirei stood dumfounded.

"Kirei. You alright?" asked Kiyoh. Kirei shook his head.

"_I'll be fine. But I need to talk to him later"_

"Why's that?" The two of them began walking towards the Illustrious.

"_He may be my real brother…"_

Kiyoh's eyes widened, even more so as she remembered finding her lover underneath the mountain so long ago, with no memory of his past save for his piloting skills and a memory of his "guardian". Could Kirei being gaining his memory back? It was a possibility, but right now, they needed to save the world from a mountain sized bomb.

"_Dai-Ganzan_, can you throw us at the same time?" asked the _Serene Suinami_ as it stood alongside the _Gurren Lagann_ and _Illustrious Kazenami_. "If we fly we'll get shot down by the CPC, so we need to intercept on foot."

"It's now _Dai-Gurren_ now, and yeah I'll throw the both of ya" Jack replied. The _Dai-Gurren_ grabbed the _Gurren Lagann_ with its right hand and the _Serene Suinami_ and _Illustrious Kazenami_ with its left.

"When we hit the ground, we hit the ground running full speed. Don't slow down, not even for a second" said Quantei.

"You got it" responded Simon.

"How are we supposed to intercept it?" asked Kiyoh.

"We run at the right speed so that we can reach the bomb right before it collides. Judging by my coordinates…" he paused. "43.2 kilometers in under 3 minutes. That's how much time we have left."

"Right!" responded the pilots save for Kirei, who was still making sense of the fact that he was going into battle alongside someone who _might_ be his older brother. .

"_Dai-Gurren_. Start the windup" And the _Dai-Gurren_'s arms began to spin, over and over, slowly gaining speed.

"Target is approaching. 20,000 meters!" yelled Tetsukan.

"All right! Begin Operation Bomb Catch!" yelled Attenborough, inventing the name right on the spot. The arms were still gaining momentum.

"Throw em!" yelled Jack. The _Dai-Gurren_'s arms stopped as they came level, hands opening to release the three mechs.

"Godspeed and Destiny be with you" whispered Jack to himself.

Both pilot felt their stomachs leave the _Dai-Gurren_ as they flew through the air. They soared for several kilometers, running as they hit the ground, both Spiral meters filling up white to full.

Due to the throw, both mechs were scattered as the _Illustrious Kazenami_ ran through a forest, ripping trees apart as it went. _Gurren Lagann _ran through many boulders and rocks, arms pumping like pistons. The _Serene Suinami_ ran along a stream, water kicking out as it sprinted.

The _Illustrious Kazenami_ took a step on a small cliff outcropping and leapt over a small mountain, almost as if it was flying. Had he slowed for a few seconds, he would have been incinerated by a long range Charge Particle Cannon on the _Kaminari Saiken_, still way far off which surprised the Bachikas. _Gurren Lagann_ jumped over a small ravine, as did the _Serene Suinami_. _Illustrious Kazenami_ jumped over another ravine and continued the sprint.

High above them, the _Kaminari Saiken_'s black shield dissolved, revealing a prismatic sphere, radiating many colors from the center. As it changed direction, it no longer looked like a machine.

"Trajectory has changed! It's not heading to the Caldera! It's heading for us and it's gaining speed!" yelled Tetsukan.

"What!" barked Jack in surprise.

"You mean we need to run back! Damnit all to hell!" cursed Kiyoh.

"I'm the closest one! Where's an alternative route?" yelled Quantei.

"Change course! There's a canyon that has a U-turn curve! Use it!" yelled Jack.

The _Serene Suinami_ ran into the canyon, running up onto its curved side and following it around. Rocks flew away behind it, sparks running along the green and white mech as it completed its turn. The canyon crumbled in a cloud of dust as _Serene_ emerged.

"Theres another huge ravine in front of the _Serene Suinami_!" exclaimed Kinon.

"Use the small plateau as jumping stones! Get momentum!" yelled Jack.

The _Serene Suinami_ ran through trees and debris, jumping to one plateau, then another taller one, then another much taller one. It leapt, jumping over the abyss and landing on the other side in a cloud of and dust.

3 kilometers in a single leap.

Quantei snarled, his Spiral guage filling from white to radiant green as he urged the _Serene Suinami_ to run even faster.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!" he yelled. A windpocket formed around the _Serene Suinami _and burst. A white blur and circles of air could be seen in the dust as the shingann ran over hills and mountains as if they were nothing, hurling trees off of their roots and animals flying.

The _Kaminari Saiken_ began to change again, as slits appeared over the radiating sphere, red light pouring through. It spun and unfurled, revealing the _Dai-Gankaminari-saiken_ in it's full beauty as it let an unnatural whine, or a roar, as it slowly descended, it's parts glowing and radiating as it did before.

"The bomb has changed! Distance 5,000 meters and closing!" yelled Kinon. All of the Dai-Gurren Brigade watched as the bomb slowly descended, Jack's face stoic.

The _Serene Suinami_ skidded to a halt and true to his near impossible plan, he found himself at the eye of the abdomen of what was _Dai-Ganken_, the eye radiating black to red. Quantei looked and roared.

"Spiral Field! Full Power!"

And the _Serene Suinami_ glowed green in contrast to the _Kaminari Saiken_'s red and black, it's eye white, the home of the central core. Trusting in the power of fate, the _Serene_ hoisted its hands up and his spiral field stopped the bomb cold, hexagonal lights flaring across.

Suddenly the white center, home of the core changed, unveiling a machine that was long with two bony hands and a skeleton like head. It unfurled and its arms reached to grabbed the _Serene Suinami_'s palms.

Only for it to spear it with two bony pikes, right through the Serene Suinami's hands.

Quantei roared in agony, the feeling of his hands being gored sparking every nerve in his body. He threw back his head and screamed, his mech starting to buckle. He opened his eyes, glaring at the drone, whose eyes glowed back as if taunting him.

An odd chorus radiated from the machine as it loomed its head closer to the _Serene_. The red ring began to release other red rings.

"You made a mistake defying us, Quantei Niju!" roared the machine. "You should have died when that overgrown turkey gored you like a shish-kabob of a genetic mistake that you are!"

Quantei could feel tears rolling from his eyes, and blood from his lip as he bit into it. The mech continued to buckle and suddenly, as if the entire weight of the world was on the former Royal Knight's hands…

The _Serene Suinami_ fell to one knee, the colliding fields pressing against the back of his neck and the ground shaking as he kneeled.

"The pain…it's…." he whimpered.

"Don't you dare give up you bastard!" roared a voice. It was Kittan's.

"It hurts! I can't do it!" snarled Quantei, his eyes closed in pain. They didn't understand the pain of the Resonance Ratio. They could never understand being gored like that while still alive.

"Suck it up! If you fail now, Nia dies! She's counting on you! Believe in the you that believes in yourself! Push that firecracker NOW or she dies!"

Quantei's eyes reopened, his eyes glowing green with spiral power as he roared, not in pain, but in determination, slowly getting get back up.

"What the…! Impossible! This is inconceivable!" the machine roared in disbelief. And as the _Serene_ straightened up, both arms straight, the _Kaminari Saiken_ jolted upwards.

"This cannot be!" yelled the voice.

"I'm here Quantei!" said Simon, _Gurren Lagann_ running to _Serene_'s assistance.

"Us too!" Kiyoh said.

"_Simon! The core!"_ thought Kirei.

"Way ahead of ya!" _Gurren Lagann_ leapt, drawing its shades and splitting them for battle. Both pilots roared as the ganmen charged into the shield.

"Ora!"

_Gurren Lagann_ sliced the shield, firing its thrusters to leap up to the core. They found it, a red sphere surrounded by lights. _Gurren Lagann_ swung at the core…

Only for the core to dodge. As if to mock them, a timer appeared above it.

"You're kidding me! We can't hit it at this rate!" cursed Yoko as the core flailed about randomly. The timer read 30 seconds, as the defense system activated.

The spines along the _Kaminari Saiken_ straightened, metamorphosing into near-human shapes, each with a red eye in its forehead. They swayed, as if dancing in victory.

Suddenly the red rings stopped. The bomb's thrusters fired, forcing the _Serene Suinami _down to one knee.

"Simon! Any time now!" yelled Quantei, his spiral gauge slowly depleting, the pain overwhelming him.

"I know but…"

20 seconds…

The shield broke and a hand grabbed the core, the _Illustrious Kazenami_ hovering above the drone with thruster blazing.

18 seconds...

"Kirei!" yelled Simon and Yoko in surprise.

Kirei began to hiss in pain as the Charge Particle Rays began to heat the core. Although the _Illustrious Kazenami_'s Resonance Ratio was only 10%, it was still burning the silver-haired Bachika's hands.

"Simon hurry!" yelled Kiyoh.

15 seconds...

"Digger! Now!"

"I KNOW!" _Gurren Lagann _threw the shades, one at the drone, one at the core. They tumbled through the air, halting momentarily with an outline of a galaxy behind them.

10...

"Now everyone! Finishing move!" The shinganns fell besides the _Gurren Lagann_.

9...8...

"Triple!" yelled Yoko.

7...

" Dai-Gurren!" yelled Kiyoh.

6...

"Giga…" they raised their right hands, drills sprouting out.

5...

"Drill…." The drills grew out, and they aimed.

4...

"BREAAAKEEER!"

3...

Together they rocketed towards the core and drone, the timer reading 0:02. They struck, tearing through and into the main body of _Kaminari Saiken. _They burst free, soaring to the heavens. The _Kaminari Saiken_ stalled, and began to fall.

It exploded.

The Dai-Gurren Brigade stared in wonder, then erupted in cheering as a crucifix of pink light seared across the sky, three trails of green light streaking out from it. Nia gasped in happiness and leapt to hug Kittan, who was standing by her side.

"They did it!" she chirped, while Kittan returned the hug.

The 3 green lights slowly descended towards the cheering _Dai-Gurren_ and _Dai-Gankai_, the sun setting behind them. The celebration and festivities would go onto dawn and the next dawn.

Corruption and deception had been defeated by love and courage.

ISO had lost, Dai-Gurren Brigade had won.

* * *

At Teppelin, Lordgenome rose to his feet, seeing the tiny pink light in the distance from the top of his city. He narrowed his eyes.

"Segundio…" His loyal ward turned towards him.

"Summon Cytomander and Guame immediately."

"Yes sire" toned the emotionless boy.

"And a few more things, Segundio" the Spiral King turned towards his ward, his eyes glowing red in both spiral power and anger.

"Bring me Pronein of ISO and…" His face contorted into a malign scowl. "Anima. She has explaining to me and to you." Segundio showed the same feeling as his King as he nodded, also thinking dark thoughts for his younger sister.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Segundio disappeared in a flash of blackish green light.

Lordgenome sat down on his throne and sighed. He shuffled his robes and found an ages old photograph. It showed a small boy with a feminine face wearing an expression of mild annoyance, flower-like eyes, and cloud-like hair. He also had a armadillo on his shoulder. Standing beside the boy was a much taller boy, hands in pockets and a serene smile upon his face. He had steel-gray hair and reddish-brown eyes. He had an arm draped around the smaller boy and a butterfly on his shoulder. They were standing in a playground, on top of a small mound that trailed up in a spiral, toy animals littered about.

In the background, skyscrapers of a modern city could be seen.

Lordgenome's eyes were full of sadness, and a little nostalgia. The picture contained the one human in his life who showed him nothing but love, respect, and admiration.

"Keelle…" he whispered and hid the picture. He hardened his heart as his eyes returned to anger.

One foolish girl would be getting punished today. Very, very, harshly.

* * *

In the dark recesses of the Capital, Flagvier gawked. He could not speak as the fact that 3 humans…3 HUMANS…had destroyed the greatest bomb ever conceived in the history of the solar system sunk in. All those years of creating the OverDrive and Trial Systems…gone in a flash.

"I know. I was surprised too" said a voice, causing Flagvier to jump. He knew the voice well. The Siamese cat turned.

A tall humanoid emerged from the shadows, wearing black robes, metal boots, and spiked white pauldrons. He wore a mask that on one side showed a happy face, the other a sad face split down the middle.

"Nu-Nulleus! I didn't see you come in!" The masked man, Nulleus, chuckled.

"If you think I am going to punish you for this failure you're wrong on that my dear Flagvier." His voice was oily, lugubrious.

"Are we going into hiding now?" asked Flagvier. The masked man nodded.

"Yes, however, you are still a member of the Teppelin Defense Force, you will need to stay and fight." The beastmen nodded.

"I am aware, but my Enki can't do that much against….those three! I mean I know we have Lordgenome, the remaining two generals and the replacements, and the other two Survivors but this may not be enough! I designed the hull of _Kaminari Saiken_ from Dekabutsu's armor! Dekabutsu's armor!"

"I know, but I have a gift for you." He held out a card and a circular device. He clicked a button on the device and a hologram appeared. It was of a vaguely human shape, stubby white legs reaching up to a heavy black torso, long streamers hanging from the shoulders in place of arms. Set into its torso was a red jewel, flanked by what appeared to be white pectoral muscles. It's head was above the jewel, a skull-like white mask.

"This my creation 100 years in the making." Flagvier gawked.

"You mean…" Nulleus nodded.

"Yes. You will have the honor of the piloting the _Isofren: Zetsunami Kai_ into battle. You will avenge this defeat for us, Flagvier the Treasoner." Flagvier was positively orgasmic.

"Thank you Mein Leader! Anything for you! But where will you and the rest go?"

"We shall escape Teppelin and go into hiding…for now…you shall use the _Isofren_ to destroy the Dai-Gurren Brigade in our stead. Understand?"

"I hear and obey!" Nulleus handed him the device and the card, smirking behind his mask.

"Good. I am counting on you." He stepped back into the shadows, disappearing.

**

* * *

**

**So basically, Kaminari Saiken is Sahaquiel from NGE. I mixed both TV series and Rebuild into it's design.**

**Also, I have begun rewriting my ole TTGL fic, Nucleotide along with my friend 1 over 0, so check that out.**

**Also, next chapter will be explaination, punishment and Beach episode! After that, I will have a flashback arc depicting Kirei, or shall I say Gokami's past and what lead up to it. Hope you all enjoyed!**

**Editing thanks to Juubi-K.**


	22. Turn back the Bladed Pendulum Part 1

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. The members of ISO and my OC's belong to me.**

**Note that I am incorporating an element from my Nucleotide in here mainly since I own it and therefore I can use it.**

Lordgenome sat upon his throne, head on his right hand as he waited for a specific group of individuals to appear.

He saw a flash of blackish-green light below him, and sounds of a scuffle as he turned his attention to the floor beneath his spiral like mound.

"Fuck you Segundio! Who the hell do you think you-" Anima stopped her yelling as she noticed that she was in the throne room. Segundio held her by the arms, face contorted in a stone cold glare the entire time. He had said nothing to the girl when he brought her here; the female Royal Knight wasn't worth the effort of drawing breath. Anima's face turned towards Lordgenome, and she chuckled nervously.

"Oh, your majesty. Forgive my behavior just now, Segundio's been quiet you see and I was-"

"Explain yourself, Anima Threesai," drawled Lordgenome, his spiral eyes red and his voice, while calm, was teeming with anger. Anima decided to play dumb.

"E-explain what, your majesty?" Lordgenome held out his left hand, and snapped his fingers.

"Explain this," he said, and images of the Illustrious Kazenami and it's pilot appeared above Lordgenome, courtesy of some of the projectors imbedded in the spiral stalactites above him. Anima's face lost color and she gulped.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" sneered the Spiral King, voice still calm.

"My lord, please let me defend myself! Gokami and Prima! They-"

"Were the best Knights of the empire," sneered Segundio, speaking for the first time. "And you were the last one to see Goka fifty years ago and Prima was killed in an _'accident' _according to you." He turned towards Lordgenome.

"Your Majesty, I think I know Anima's reasons for Prima's _accident_ and making Gokami disappear." Lordgenome nodded.

"Speak your claim Segundio," commanded the Spiral King. Anima turned towards her older brother in horror.

"Segu…you can't do this. I'm your baby sister…remember all the times we-"

"What times did we have, Anima?" snarled Segundio. "You were a condescending whore who looked down on anyone and everyone. Quantei may have been more reliant on the Resonance Ratio more than you or I, but he used to be loyal and a fair knight, who earned my respect. You, on the other hand, treat anyone who is not above you like dirt. Now his majesty and I are giving you a chance to explain yourself. What are your reasons for killing Prima, my sister?" His slitted green eyes burned into Anima, who was withering like a flower in an arid desert.

"Well…I…they…" she stammered. She couldn't find the words. Her pride wouldn't let her speak. Segundio's face contorted in anger as he raised his voice for the first time.

"Speak!" he bellowed. Lordgenome looked down. Anima remained silent, shivering.

"I know your reason Anima. It's as plain as day," oiled Lordgenome. Anima and Segundio turned towards him. The Spiral King berated himself mentally for having not noticed it sooner.

"One. Of the two female survivors, you were cursed with a faulty uterus. Meanwhile Prima, the first Human Beastman hybrid, was able to bear a true Nucleotype, thus earning my adoration. You were jealous of Prima because you, a human Artificial Nucleotype, could not bear a child, especially one as gifted as Gokami."

"That arrogant jackass wasn't gifted at all! He-"

"Silence!" yelled Lordgenome for the first time, shutting up the redheaded Royal Knight.

"Gokami was Natural Nucleotype due to being birthed from another Nucleotype. Unlike the normal evolutionary process, he became a Natural by birth rather than through the extreme conditions that trigger the need to evolve. He just simply _did._ This made him far more capable and powerful than the Artificials, such as yourself and your brothers. True, he may have been arrogant a long while ago, but he was more than justified in some cases." Anima looked at the ground, both in anger of being regarded as _inferior_ to the Fifth and ashamed that Gokami was better than her in more ways than she could fathom. It was all because he was the youngest, the one with the least amount of problems out of all the survivors.

And she was cursed to have the most.

"Two. I know this one has ground. Gokami did treat you badly, but that was mainly due to your harassment of Quantei. Gokami came to his defence by treating you much the way you treated the Fourth." Segundio clenched his fist as he continued to glare at Anima.

"Three. On a majority of practice simulations, whenever you were about to be destroyed, it was either Prima or Gokami who came to your rescue. No doubt you were ashamed, yes? Is this true, Segundio?" The black-haired Royal Knight nodded.

"While Prima was encouraging after our simulations, Gokami would tend to rub it in sometimes," affirmed Segundio. "But that was mainly due to the level of hostility the two had grown over the years." Anima remained silent.

"Four. You had a desire to be the best due to you being grown with a faulty body compared to your brothers and sister. Thus, you had to build confidence and self-esteem, by putting down Quantei, who was still inexperienced compared to you. And Prima, who even treated you fair and kind. And also Gokami. You committed a terrible crime and broke the rules, Anima. Want to know what happens to those who break the rules?" Anima remained silent, taking a step back.

"They are interrogated and punished." Lordgenome's face now contorted into a villainous smirk and he rose up. Anima stumbled down onto her bottom as Lordgenome strode towards her.

"Your Majesty please forgive me! I-I-"

"Segundio. Hold her" ordered Lordgenome stoically. The black-haired Survivor nodded and brought Anima up and held her by the arms. She struggled and whimpered until Lordgenome stood before her, glaring down at her. The Third survivor shivered in fright, her eyes wide with fear. Lordgenome closed his eyes…

'_Turn back the hands and submit to hunter's kill. Shift the eternal sands and time be at my will…' _And he reopened them.

"Now…show me…_everything!_" yelled the Spiral King as he placed his hand on her head and his red eyes glowed in tandem with Anima's as she screamed. He felt himself falling free…down and down…

* * *

At the Very Beginning

The Spiral King landed perfectly and saw the world in a black and white plain, similar to the ancient movies from long before even _they_ arrived. He looked around and saw five pods in a circular room.

"The simulator room…" murmured the Spiral King as he saw the pods open with a whine.

"Haha! High score for me again! Man I rock!" boasted an arrogant young male voice from one pod.

"You did well brother. That's your best score yet," smiled a younger Segundio Twoni as he stepped out. Despite his true age of seven hundred years, he still looked to be seventeen. He didn't look as melancholic in this time as he did in the present.

"Gokami you were awesome! You gotta teach me that technique some time too!" chirped a physically fourteen Quantei Niju, feminine face beaming with admiration. Lordgenome made some calculations, concluding the boy he would really be three hundred. Gokami walked out of the pod and Lordgenome flinched.

Gokami was physically young, around thirteen, and although the world was in black and white Lordgenome knew from memory that Gokami had shining red eyes and steel gray hair. He would also be relatively young in terms of his real age, only a hundred years when his siblings would have at least two centuries under their belts. Lordgenome heard a growl and turned towards the two pods behind him. One of them opened up and, lo and behold, a five hundred-year-old Anima Threesai stood out, glaring at the silver haired boy in jealousy, anger, and shame. She looked to be approximately sixteen, demonstrating the preserving effects of LPL. Gokami sensed her glare and looked towards her with a smirk.

"What's wrong fire crotch? Disappointed with the results?" he goaded.

"Shut it you!"she fumed. "I didn't need to be saved from the likes of an ass like you! I would have rather been killed in that simulation than be rescued from you Gokami!" Lordgenome understood immediately. If there was one thing Anima hated the most, it was being indebted to someone, closely followed by being shown up in an embarrassing manner. Knowing Gokami's nature, that was what had happened. Gokami placed his hands behind his back in amusement.

"Oh? So are you tsundere for me Auntie?" teased Gokami cruelly. "Or Big Sis? Do you like incest? You like that way? The red on your face is matching your hair." Gokami pointed for emphasis. Anima was about to explode with fury.

"What's your problem Ani? It's just a simulation…" said Quantei. Anima turned towards the younger boy and glared a hole in him.

"Stay out of this, you weakling. You got the worst score out of all us. And don't you dare call me _Ani,_" she snarled as Quantei withered under her gaze. Now Gokami's face darkened.

"Hey! Just who the hell do you take yourself for! Just because I pointed out your flaws doesn't mean you should take them out on Big Bro Quantei! If you got a problem with me, then deal with me!" he shouted. If looks could kill, Gokami would be dead a hundred times over. Anima opened her mouth to speak

"That's enough. Both of you," cut a voice which caused the room's occupants to turn about. Rising from the other pod stood a beautiful brown-haired woman at the physical age of twenty-four. Lordgenome had no trouble remembering her age; Prima would have been about nine hundred, making her the third oldest citizen in his empire. She bore red eyes, much like the others save for Segundio, and her figure was slender. unique to her was the bushy fox tail coming out of her rear. But she was neither a human nor a beastman.

She was the first human-beastman hybrid in the history of the Teppelin Empire, the First Survivor, and the first Artificial Nucleotype, Prima Primera.

"Anima. In a real life situation you would have been dead due to your recklessness. You should be thanking your younger brother _and_ nephew for rescuing you during the simulation." Prima glared sternly at Anima, who looked away with a huff. Prima turned her gaze towards Gokami, who slinked behind Quantei, which was comical because Quantei was a bit shorter than his younger brother.

"And you shouldn't be acting like the bee's knees," she reprimanded sternly. "While you did get the high score for the fifteenth consecutive time, and I am proud for you for that. You shouldn't boast about it so proudly. Virtual reality and true reality are entirely different things, Gokami Cinqus Primera." The silver-haired boy dropped his gaze.

"Sorry mom…" he said in defeat. Prima's frown turned upside down.

"Now then. Wanna return back to our villa Goka? I'm sure dinner will be rather tasty after a few hours in the simulator. In addition, I know of a certain someone who's waiting for you~" cooed the fox woman as Gokami perked up.

"Alright! I'm starving and I can't wait to see Riz again!" he beamed as he ran over to his mother's side. Prima giggled.

"Alright, I'll see you guys later," said Prima warmly as she and Gokami walked out hand in hand. Quantei couldn't help but smile at the two.

"They make a good pair. Is it because they are related by blood?" asked the dark-skinned feminine boy to his older brother.

"Possibly," responded Segundio. "Their coordination and chemistry in the simulators is one of legends if you ask me. But Prima has a point. Let's get dinner." The elder smiled as he and Quantei walked out of the simulator.

Lordgenome was observing all of this and turned towards Anima. All this was possible due to her memories, brought to life by his own Spiral Power. It was akin to a visual journal, only usable by Ascended Nucleotypes such as himself without any drawbacks.

Anima was silent, looking down, her red hair covering her eyes. In her clenched hand was the locket which all of the Five Survivors had, containing a picture of all of them gathering for a photo. Segundio and Quantei were smiling. Gokami was in front of his mother giving a victory sign while his mother smiled, while Anima herself had an annoyed expression.

He turned to watch the others as they walked away. Segundio strolled along, trailing Qauntei in tow, while Gokami turned and smirked triumphantly at his aunt and half-sister. Lordgenome frowned. He knew Gokami was arrogant but this was pushing things. The door closed…

Suddenly he heard a cracking sound. He turned around and his eyes went up.

Anima's eyes no longer held hot and fiery fury, which she was known for, but now her own red eyes were possessed with absolute cold malice.

"He thinks he's be better than me huh…having a lover…a mother…adoration…talent…skill...looks..." she whispered. The tone of her voice reminded Lordgenome of himself when he was dissecting the girl right before he delved into her memories.

"He has tormented me...for over _a hundred_ years, and he just doesn't stop...his majesty adores him and that...that..._thing_ that calls me _sister_," snarled Anima as her hand clenched tighter around the locket. More crunching could be heard, and a pinch of red liquid could be seen from her hand.

"He was born with everything…but now…but now..." She unclenched her hand, letting the bloody shards of the locket drop to the ground, accompanied by yet more blood from her lacerated palm. Her spiral eyes shone red with malevolence, reminding Lordgenome much of himself when he had rebelled against his comrades during the Dark Times.

"I…will…take…_**everything**_...from him," she vowed, and she walked out.

_So this is how it begun,_ thought Lordgenome as he snapped his fingers and the scenery changed.

The hands of time were pushed back, but were now being pushed forward…to another important event that would change the lives of the Five Survivors forever.

**This chapter was short so I apologize. School, my other works, and real life has been a pain. I wanted to do an arc on the past, this is how we are going to get it. I'll probably do a three parter. I'll get to work on the 2****nd**** part soon and quicker(probably due to that my primary focus is both this, Nucleotide, and CMM now. Darkmask and Giver will be done sporadically and SLSCSL will only be done with Useful Osymoron and ChanouChan help contribute.**

**I'll give you a warning…next chapter will be…bloody…and will have Nightmare Fuel and other horrors added into it. You'll see why it's rated M.**

**Edited by Juubi-K and 1 over 0.**


	23. Turn back the Bladed Pendulum Part 2

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. The Survivors and my OC's belong to me.**

**Note: This chapter does contain gruesome violence, horrorific images, and implied rape. I will place a notice when the scene starts and ends.**

**Let's just say that anime the likes of Higurashi and Blood+ with of course, Evangelion, inspired this chapter.**

Lordgenome watched as the black and white background of the simulation faded and rippled, before reforming into what appeared to be one of the Royal Villas that he knew well.

It was the same Villa Prima used to live in. He frowned as he saw Anima walk in. He turned his head, seeing Prima knitting what appeared to be something out of red yarn. She looked up to see her younger sister.

"Ah, Anima. What brings you here?"

Lordgenome could sense the waves of malice rolling off of her, the sheer hot-blooded rage suffusing the memory. But Anima's mask of neutrality was impenetrable.

"Well...I wanna say that I'm sorry for how I reacted earlier. I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on Quantei."

Lordgenome could sense her intent. But Prima was sadly bereft of the advantage of literally being inside Anima's head.

"You liar," he sneered at Anima's placid facade.

"I see," said Prima softly, settling her knitting on her lap. "But if there's anyone you need to apologize to it is him, not to me." The redheaded fox-woman nodded, satisfied with this statement.

"I understand." Anima looked around the Villa, a scowl on her face. "Where's the brat at?"

"He's out with Rizuko right now," stated Prima, returning to her knitting. "Why do you want to know?"

Lordgenome remembered that name. Rizuko Inuzaki, one of the most sophisticated doctors in the empire. The reports he had gotten later stated that, when Gokami had "disappeared", she had "disappeared" as well at the hands of a duo of outlaws.

"Well...I was wondering if, well..." mumbled Anima.

The Spiral King could sense the gears of malice turning within her brain, concocting whatever scheme she was about to enact.

"I wanna get better in the simulators you see. And I think the reason behind that is that it's just that. It's a simulation. Not real at all. That mindset might be affecting me and making me more relaxed, making me prone to mistakes."

Prima nodded in understanding.

"I see where you are coming from Anima. Do you wish for live fire practice?"

'_Hook, line, sinker,'_ thought Anima, smirking mentally. Lordgenome heard her thoughts echo along the memory's wavelength.

"Yes, thank you Prima. This may help with my training immensely. When do you want to arrange practice?"

"I'm free tonight. Where do you wish to enact the practice? The Spiral King allows us to roam as long as we like."

Lordgenome turned towards her and his eyes widened when he read her thoughts.

"Impossible...how does she..." he said out loud. He fast-forwarded, the world fading once again before reforming in another place. He turned around, and his gut wrenched.

It was the home of his _reminder_. The _reminder_ of his failure to create more children like Prima. The _reminder_ of his near-futile act to bring someone back from the dead. The _reminder _of his play against God.

It was a great wide cavern, one of many surrounding Teppelin. The world was no longer black and white but now returned to normal color. It was illuminated in red fluorescent light from the ceiling. Below his feet he looked down and cringed. It was the great container, containing that _failure_.

Within the chamber was pure LPL, Life Preserve Liquid, a rare liquid that he himself created when he used to travel amongst the stars during the Dark Times. The liquid constantly renewed the cells and healed many external wounds, but couldn't replace internal organs. And if one where to be exposed to it for a long time they gained the pain of pseudo-immortality. Its orange hue tinted the chamber above him and he could see what lay at the very bottom of the chamber...

Strewn at the bottom of the chamber, much like stones in a pond, were the fetuses of the Unborn. The ones that died during the KR Project. He had ensured numerous births from 99 women, and only five of them bore fruit, leaving five children, one of those children being one of the mothers. There were so many down there he couldn't count, even if he tried.

So many, many dead...

He didn't know what was more terrifying, the vision given to him by _that_ or this. He heard rumbling and looked up. Coming into view and nearby the glowing container of the Unborn were two great statues. He knew them well. He faded from the spot above the container and reappeared right next to one of them.

The one he was floating next to was red in color, and had the same look and design as the original _Illustrious Kazenami Mark 1,_ the first Shingann of its kind. In fact, the _Illustrious_ was the same machine he piloted, Keelle Suun, his long-deceased best friend. It had four eyes, on the face, in its chest, and on its head.

The _Wrathful Enkanami Mark 3._ Its pilot was Anima Threesai. The Spiral King could sense her thoughts and emotions through the memory.

He looked across, seeing a pure white machine of similar stature. In place of the four eyes, it had a single large yellow visor and a bladed spike protruding from its head.

The _Merciful Hikarinami Mark 0_. And its pilot was Prima Primera.

"Alright Anima. I don't see why you brought us to this spot. It's pretty contained for live fire practice," pointed out Prima through her loudspeaker.

"No worries Prima, it's just a combat spar. I've been lacking in that department somewhat."

Lordgenome could see her in his mind's eye, her face contorting in a vile smirk as she held out something that caused his eyes to widen in disbelief.

"How did she get her hands on that..." he muttered as she held out a detonator and pressed a button. He delved deeper into her memories, and he saw glimpses of what seemed to be some sort of cloaked Beastman handing over the detonator and the orbs to Anima in some alley in the Teppelin slums. He knew those devices.

Spiral Nullification Devices.

He returned to the chamber to watch as Anima pressed down on the detonator. A red tint seeped out of several joints on Hikarinami. It tried to move but couldn't, as the spiral power in the limbs was now being sucked dry by the SNDs. He could only imagine what Prima might have felt. On the other hand, he could easily feel the overwhelming, sadistic joy that enveloped Anima's mind and soul.

The _Enkanami_ began to stride slowly towards the _Hikarinami_, letting loose a low growl as it hunched over, staring vehemently at Prima with its green eyes. It stopped at a moderate distance away from the white Shingann and stood up straight. Its ordinarily closed mouth sprang open, revealing razor sharp teeth. A bestial roar bubbled up from the cavernous depths of the mecha.

"Time to die!" screeched Anima. Lordgenome could see her face overlaid over what he was seeing, her green eyes glowing insanely as she threw her head back in terrifying glee. The_Enkanami_ sprang into the air and hovered momentarily in the light of the great red ceiling light, almost as if it were a red sun at its back. It flipped oddly and flew feet first into the _Hikarinami_'s chest, eyes glowing a demonic red. It leapt off of the _Hikarinami_ and landed on all fours as the white Shingann slammed into the wall, leaning back against it as it made a huge indent. But Anima wasn't through. She reached her arm back, and using her spiral power, extended the red Shingann's arm to abnormal lengths. The elongated appendage whipped forward and wrapped tight arouns the _Hikarinami's_ neck, squeezing with all the force it could muster. Lordgenome needed no mind-link to sense Prima's pain. Such was the consequence of a 50% Resonance Ratio.

Anima walked over to Prima, arms slowly returning to normal as she continued to hold her grip on the _Hikarinami._ Lordgenome could see some red blips of light on the ground, and he saw the_Hikarinami_ grab the arms of the _Enkanami_.

"Anima!" breathed Prima, her voice pained. "What is the meaning of this? Explain yourself!"

"I don't need to explain myself to the likes of you!" sneered Anima.

Slowly the _Hikarinam_i began to fight back, loosening the chokehold and slowly beginning to stand up. Lordgenome saw the pauldrons on the red Shingann pulsate and explode, revealing the two missing arms. Then, with the speed of a spider, Anima regained her hold on Prima, this time using her new arms to wring the neck of the _Hikarinami_ and her normal arms to hold the arms down.

Now all that was left was to deal the coup de grace. Prima was slowly asphyxiating, as was evident from her gasps over the loudspeaker. Anima was cackling like a madman, her insanity coming to the surface in full. Prima's Spiral field had long since dissipated, neutralized by Anima's own, which was supposedly much too weak to do so. Lordgenome now realized that the SNDs had also been used to bring Prima's field level down to Anima's own. She'd planned it all out.

"You allowed your monstrosity of a son to defile me and disgrace me time and time again! But this time, no more! I will be the one who will defile! I will come out on top, despite my faults! It will be me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!" The _Enkanami_'s head reared, and delved into the _Hikarinami'_s chest...

And began to rip it from the inside...with its _teeth_. It released the stranglehold and began to rip and eat out the chest of the _Hikarinam_i. Lordgenome could hear Prima's screams and howls of anguish and pain as Anima laughed out loud, relishing it.

"I'm now on top~. I'm now on top~. I am the best~ and you~ aren't~. Na-na-na-na-na-naaaa~!" she sang, as she thrashed and mauled, even as the _Hikarinami_ tried to regenerate. The _Enkanami_continued its gourmet dinner. It roared again, then feasted...it continued for another minute, the _Hikarinami_ writhing in agony, but Anima wasn't done. She used one of the arms to deliver a punch to the head above her sister's cockpit, demolishing it. The Spiral King fast-forwarded, unwilling to sit through the entire gruesome display. He then saw the _Enkanami _stop the assault, grabbing Prima from her cockpit in the throat. The _Hikarinami_ sank down and erupted into flames, its source of Spiral Energy gone. Lordgenome floated to the head of demonic _Enkanami_, seeing Prima in its grasp, unconscious and head slumped. Anima was chuckling as she walked over to the large vat of LPL that was the grave of the Unborns. She held the fox-woman over the container and opened the lid.

"How does it feel, First Survivor...to feel decimated...to lose all hope. You turned a blind eye and allowed your son to mock me and make me look like a fool and a failure for the last few decades. I'm no failure, you both are..." sneered the redhead. Lordgenome heard Prima cough and he turned towards her, the _Enkanami_'s head perking up.

"You're wrong...Anima..." breathed the fox-woman, still recovering from the sympathetic trauma delivered by her resonance ratio. It was a miracle that her mind was still functioning at all.

"I haven't lost hope...even now..."

"What!"

"You...hide behind your insecurities by trying to be the best, but that goal of yours turned into an unhealthy obsession, and I did turn a blind eye to that," coughed Prima, and she looked into the eyes, with nothing but regret, grief, and true to her word, hope. "And for that I am sorry."

"Why are you saying sorry! I am gonna kill you...you...you..."

"There was a time when we were truly sisters, and loved each other. But your obsessions isolated you from your siblings when Quantei was born. You looked down on Quantei and became apathetic towards Segundio's troubles. And when Goka came...you felt challenged, and that obsession grew every moment when Goka outdid you in the simulators...and in life..."

"Shut up! I demand you shut the fuck up!"

"You were jealous of him. You wanted someone to love you legitimately, like he has. You wanted someone to admire you, like he has. You wanted to carry a child, like myself. And you wanted someone to hold you...for what you are...like he was."

"I said shut up!"

Her eyes were now crazed as she increased the grip on Prima, making the fox woman cringe in pain, her red eyes holding back tears, but she retained that smile.

"And even still...I'll forgive you...because the world gave you an unfair chance, and all you did was try to be the best... And...The world..."

"SHUT UP!"

"Abandoned you...like when Shiata did...all those years ago...and through all that..."

"SHUT UP YOU DISGUSTING BEAST BITCH! SHUT UUUUUUUP~!"

"I forgive...you...and love you..."

And Prima Primera exploded in blood, her head falling into the LPL vat, joining the ranks of those below. Lordgenome's mouth was agape. He turned towards Anima to see her reaction and glared, teeth barred.

She was smiling, her mouth twitching as she grinned.

A loud shriek brought both Anima and Lordgenome towards the manual entrance to the chamber, one Lordgenome knew too well. He couldn't make it out, but he floated with Anima as she made a giant leap over to the door, grabbing the figure from the other side of the door. Lordgenome's eyes went up, tracking the hand, certain of the figure's identity even before he could see it properly.

It was Gokami, eyes full of fear and terror, terror Anima would be sure to relish in.

But...Gokami was never killed, if that was really him on the ISO's worldwide video feed. As he heard Anima's light laughs, he fast-forwarded through her memories, the chamber fading out and being replaced. He saw himself standing in a blue tinted shack; on a table he saw various knives and tools. Next to that table...was Gokami, beng crucified on some cross figure by ropes, stripped down to his boxers. He was asleep for whatever reason, but tearstains were easily visible. Lordgenome heard breathing and a door opening, and he turned and witnessed Anima walking in nonchalantly. He turned towards the source of breathing and saw a beautiful blonde haired woman with cat ears. She had blue eyes and the figure of a fertility goddess, and she was dressed in her lab coat.

It was Rizuko Inuzaki, and she had duck tape wrapped around her mouth. Her eyes widened when the redhead arrived. She was trapped in a cell, giving her front-row seats to what would come.

Anima's arrival awoke Gokami, and he thrashed under his bindings, eyes full of hate.

"Your murderer!" he yelled in anguish. Anima's was response was that of a chuckle.

"Oh? Are you sad that you are no longer the best? You no longer possess a mother? Is that why you hate me?" The chuckles continued, hateful, torturous.

Gokami looked away as she mentioned Prima. Anima only laughed harder.

"Oh yeah, you saw all that! Originally I was going to drug you and bring you here since I captured your token whore, but you made it easier for me and followed me and Prima to the giant chamber! I suppose that's the only good thing you've done to me in recent memory!" She gave another light chuckle.

"How dare you! Mom only wanted what's best for you...and you payed her back by killing her! You murderer! You inhuman monster!" He paused, trying to hold back the tears. "What are you going to do to me?"

Anima's normally fiery red eyes were dull, showing no empathy as she looked at Gokami with a slight smile on her face as she began to unbutton her shirt...

"I'll make you mine, and then I'll dispose of you like trash...that's what..." Gokami gasped, his eyes wide in fear in realization of what would come. Lordgenome turned at a shout.

"Stop it! Please don't do that to Goka! Use me! Please! Anything but him!" pleaded Rizuko, who had somehow managed to remove her duct tape. Anima only laughed at her pathetic pleas.

"But if I did that then I'd be giving the both of you satisfaction now wouldn't I? You wanna beg for his innocence and his life now?" Her voice turned dark as she glared at Rizuko. "You didn't seem to care back when your brother Shiota went missing! You're both guilty!" Rizuko paled when Anima finally removed the shirt, before sliding the pants off of her legs.

**AN: This is where it begins. Skip it if you want to.**

"Stop it! Please I beg you! Stop it! Stop it!" she yelled but Anima grabbed Gokami by the crotch and the boy froze, as he saw Anima reach for a knife...

And made small cuts along his arms, as she continued to massage his crotch, Gokami breathing in pain, Rizuko screaming as Anima fondled the Fifth Survivor. Lordgenome couldn't take this, so he fast-forwarded...

Only to see the ending of Anima stealing his virginity, as she stretched her head and let loose an orgasmic moan, and Gokami a yell in despair. He heard Rizuko trying to slam the bars of her cell with her shoulder, but they would not budge. Anima stared down at the silver haired boy with a smirk.

"I can see why thunder tits over there I wanted you so bad, you're a good fuck. Tell me little brother, did you enjoy it?" she asked in a sing-song voice. Gokami could only heave pleasured sobs, in disgust and in pain.

"Please...take my life..." wept the cat-woman, "in exchange for-"

"No...You never said anything about where Shiota was back then when I tried to exchange with you, so I will deny you! You didn't comfort me when this monster treated me like scum, so I will deny you! You and Prima stood idly by as this man destroyed my life and impeded my goals, SO I WILL DENY YOU!" She turned her glaring visage towards Rizuko, teeth bared. "You'll stand there and watch as your defiled lover bleeds!" She reached for another knife, and instead of small cuts...

She plunged it in his arm, causing Gokami to howl and writhe under his bindings.

"Stop it! Stop it stop it stop it stop it!" shrieked Rizuko in the highest octave imaginable. Anima took out the knife, allowing the blood on Gokami's arm to run freely, and she smirked towards the blonde.

"You know what, I'm feeling a bit compassionate right now...if you say _I'm sorry_ a thousand times, and if little Goka is alive by then, you'll all be free! How about that?" she oiled. Rizuko immediately began to repeat a mantra of "I'm sorry" with her eyes clenched, Lordgenome saw the knife rise again and fast-forwarded. He could not witness this gruesome scene any longer. He needed to get to the end...

Finally, the world faded back to normal, and he saw Gokami with 4 massive knife wounds. Rizuko was still whispering "I'm sorry" as Gokami heaved under his bindings, his Nucleotype powers the only thing keeping him alive. Anima clapped, her naked body stained with blood.

"I'll have to give your credit, you're much more durable than I expected! And you must be speechless! What's wrong kid? Anima got yer tongue!" she laughed as Gokami continued to look down at the floor, his eyes in shame and pain, slowly beginning to dull. Anima then got an idea...

"You know...as a baby you were always a shrieker, always crying and crying. Tell me Gokami, how do people talk?" she cooed, Gokami was unresponsive, still staring at the ground. Rizuko continued her mantra.

"People talk..." She grabbed the silver haired boy by his mouth, his dull eyes widening as she smiled, using her spiral power to sharpen her canines into fangs and causing her red spiral eyes to look an even more menacing shade of green.

"Because they have vocal chords..."

And she struck. Lordgenome closed his eyes and looked away at the sound, and Rizuko shrieked, saying "I'm sorry" even louder as Gokami tried to yell but couldn't. He writhed like a fish out of water...

**AN: Gruesome scene end**

Anima continued cannibalizing his throat. Rizuko was shuddering...her lips quivering. Why? Why was no saving them from this monster? Someone...someone...anyone...

_"Someone save us_!" she hollered at the top of her voice, praying to whatever god that might be to give them salvation.

And God responded, with a hover-car bursting through the door of the blue tinted shack, ramming Anima and pinning her to the wall. Anima coughed blood as her eyes bulged and she gasped. A figure leapt out of the car as Rizuko looked on in shock, dumstruck and nonresponsive, her tears staining her beautiful face.

Lordgenome knew these two figures...they were supposedly the outlaws responsible for the disappearance of Rizuko Inuzaki and Gokami 50 years ago. Could they...

"Doc! Are you alright! Answer me! Doc!" said a tall and wry cat Beastman, his fur orange and wearing the same lab coat as Rizuko. Rizuko looked stunned. The thin cat Beastman opened her cell and cut her bindings with a knife. She was non-responsive until she saw his whiskered skinny face.

"Bandsome...is that you..." she asked. The cat-man, Bandsome, grinned.

"Yeah, don't worry, we've come to save you and Goka. Now get in the car, we're getting out of here." He helped her up and they ran over to the cross where Gokami was unmoving, blooding seeping from his wounds and his throat. Bandsome cut the bindings off the boy and Gokami fell onto him. He and Rizuko carried him into the hover-car.

"So much blood..." whispered Bandsome.

"Did you bring some LPL? We might save him!" urged the blonde.

"In the back seat," he replied.

They both got inside and the orange cat tapped the shoulder of his companion, a much shorter and fatter feline with the same fur color and lab coat as he proceeded to inject yellow liquid into the dying boy.

"Hit the reverse Handsome! Let's blow this taco stand! The Nyarubanfan Brothers have saved the day!"

"Aye aye Bandsome!" responded the fatter cat as the kicked the car into reverse and sped out of the shack, allowing Anima's body to fall onto the ground. The redhead coughed blood as she hit the floor, her nude body pulsing in pain on the inside, her lower organs pulverized from being smashed between a rock wall and a high speeding hover-car.

But then again, her lower organs were non-functional to begin with. She heaved herself up, using a broom as a crutch and walked into the light pouring out of the hole made by the car.

It was sunset, and she could make out a car carrying a large hover barge and a tarped object attached to it speeding away from her down the hill, and the massive spiraling city of Teppelin to her right. The sun was setting and the moon was rising, making it a grand sight for the redhead. She grasped her side, and allowed herself to chuckle.

"It makes no difference Inuzaki...even if you have friends...I'll make it that you and your compadres will never set foot in a Teppelin Imperial settlement again..."

Blood leaked out of her lips as she smiled.

"Besides, he can no longer speak, and that's only betting on the slim chance he lives..."

Her body began to shudder until she let lose a massive bout of insane laughter, laughing at the rising moon and the setting sun. Lordgenome closed his eyes and snapped his fingers, and the world distorted and faded.

Lordgenome reopened his eyes, finding himself in the same throne room as before, with a silent Anima in his grasp and Segundio to his right. His eyes bored into her unconscious form.

Oh how much he wanted to kill her there and then...but no...She was one of the Survivors, the only thing that allowed her to breathe was the fact that her genes, despite her body being flawed, were valuable. He would need to draw a new template...

He turned towards Segundio as he let go of the redhead, allowing her to slump to the floor.

"Segundio..."

"Sire."

"How long has it been?"

"30 minutes sire."

The Spiral King nodded.

"What did you find out? About Gokami and Prima?" asked the black-haired Knight. Lordgenome looked towards him. Despite Segundio only carrying 40% of Keelle's genes, he had total differences in his skin color, hair color, and eye color. But that personality remained.

Loyalty, affection, wisdom, love. But...he couldn't let Segundio know everything. It would break his slowly thawing heart.

"Anima is the one responsible, for making Gokami disappear and killing Prima. As such, she has been charged with High Treason and other crimes," responded the Spiral King as he snapped his fingers. Two of his Spiral concubines appeared, grabbed the unconscious Anima and heaved her up.

"As a Royal Knight of the Empire, her crimes fall directly into my responsibility. As such, I sentence her to 2500 years in the maximum-security prison at Centrallio Island. She shall be detained on Level 9, where she shall serve her sentence until she is dead or it is fulfilled. She is not to submerge in LPL at any time during her sentence. Understand?"

"We hear and obey, your Royal Majesty," responded the concubines in a monotone voice, much like that of a robot. They converged into a large spiral and disappeared with a pale blue flash. Lordgenome took a deep breath.

"I feel that we both require sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

Segundio nodded in agreement.

"I understand Sire...and...thank you...for giving me justice," remarked the black haired knight. Lordgenome turned towards him and placed his grizzled hand on the seven-hundred-year-old knight's cheek. He was so soft, even after all of these centuries...

"You have no need to worry, I was more than willing to do it again for either you or Quantei should a situation like this arise." Lordgenome stroked the Knight's cheek fondly, and Segundio showed no resistance.

"Sire...what of Quantei and Gokami? What should happen if I meet them on the field of battle? Both have yet to return to Teppelin, despite having the resources to do so." Lordgenome removed his hand and started to walk towards his throne.

"That is a question you must figure out for yourself...Segundio Twoni. I do not have the answer," he replied. Segundio nodded and disappeared in a blackish green light. The Spiral King sat down, and placed his head on his fist. He reached into his robes, taking out that old photo of him and Keelle Suun back then...

"Do you know the answer? Keelle?" he asked to no one in particular.

_Elsewhere in the North-Eastern Territories._

A cloud of dust sped along the dirt road in the humid woodlands. Ahead of them was a large mountain that was snow-capped. In the car were two individuals.

"How long has it been since we've returned here, Big Bro Bandsome?" asked Handsome Billy Nyarubanfan, hand on the wheel of his old rickety hover car. He had not changed for the last 50 years thanks to LPL and Beastman Cell Renewal.

"Maybe 30, 25 at least, Lil' Bro Handsome. After we saw him on those screens, he must have gotten better," replied Bandsome Roo Nyarubanfan, riding shotgun. Like his older brother, Bandsome had not changed over the last 50 years. They wore grubby robes, as they lived sparingly in one of the Northern Region's slum towns, Falngel City. They lived in a cheap apartment, running a small clinic. They worked hard to avoid missing the abnormally-high rent their dog-Beastman landlord imposed upon them.

"Can't believe it though, Gokami now working with the Dai-Gurren Brigade. Who'dve thought?"

"Maybe it's for the best. After all, Anima is still at the Capital and she would have tried to hunt him down if he came back."

"Should we join the Brigade? I mean, Thymilph Zynova and Adiane Waterthorn went rogue and joined up with them."

"That's what we're gonna do Handsome. But first, we need to pick her up."

They continued along a dirt road that led to a cliff face and slowed down. Bandsome reached for a remote control and pushed some buttons, making the rocks split apart, revealing a metal door.

"Yeah..." Handsome looked up at the imposing mountain face.

"We're back Doc, and we're here to take ya to Goka." And they drove inside, the mountain face closing.

A moment later, the rusty remains of a brown Enki unit crashed down in front of the supposed door.

**And there you have it. Gokami/Kirei's past at Teppelin is explained. The next part is the final part of the "Turn Back the Bladed Pendelum" arc, where we see the Crazy Awesome doctors, the Nyarubanfan brothers, meet up with Riz. But hwere is Riz?**

**Sorry for neglecting all y'all, but the sheer popularity of CMM is staggering! Not to mention I've let a Naruto idea nag at me (a non-yaoi one, despite the character tags being Sasuke and Naruto).**

**We'll get to Ep 13 soon enough, which means YAY FANSERVICE! And a possible lemon if I'm up to it. If anyone spots the Gainax references(other than the Eva ones) you earn a cookie.**

**Anyone got any questions or confusion? Feel free to ask.**


	24. The Brothers and the Strategist

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. My OCs belong to me respectively.**

**Also, Handsome is the fat cat. Bandsome is the thin one. For Handsome, think "hefty".**

The brothers slowly brought the hovercar to a stop, their headlights illuminating the dark garage. The thin Bandsome hopped out, walked over to the wall and flipped a switch.

"Let there be light," he murmured as the lights turned on and his heftier sibling hopped out of the car.

"So...you remember where to find her bro?" asked Handsome.

"Of course I know. I have photographic memory, remember?"

"Oh yeah..."

The thin cat beastman sighed. While he was a natural at memorization, his brother wasn't good at remembering anything other than people's faces.

"Anyways, let's go to the infirmary. That's where Goka was usually when he healed up and slept."

"You think he might remember us?"

"I doubt it. Pseudo-LPL can be a decent substitute for the real thing, but it does have its side effects, long term memory loss being one of them."

"Oh yeah..."

The duo walked in the darkness, not bothering to turn on any switches due to their cat-derived night vision.

"I can still see the look on her face...back then..." murmured Handsome.

_50 years ago._

_"Keep covering the wounds! We need to stop the bleeding!" Rizuko yelled out as they sped over the Mendel Channel's waters. One of the upshots of a vehicle that floated above the surface of wherever you were going._

_"I've been doing this for the last half hour doc!" snapped back Bandsome, using a small cup to douse the unmoving boy on both his and the blonde's lap." We needed to save his throat first before treating the other knife wounds! And we're driving at 112 kilometers an hour, so excuse me for trying to keep things on the safe side!" He had a large container of light blue liquid, which was what he had been dousing the boy's wounds with._

_"You're not dousing them fast enough! He could have an infection right now!" she yelled over the roaring water and the engine. The tarp over the massive object behind her flapped loudly beneath its rope bindings._

_"If we can cross the channel we can care for him better, right?" asked Rizuko._

_The heftier beastman who was driving shook his head._

_"And risk running into Admiral Undekyu Greatwhite the Lurker's patrols? We're better off going until nightfall!" yelled Handsome. Rizuko let loose a growl of frustration._

_"Well go faster!"_

_"And we risk losing the _Illustrious Kazenami_, our only way to defend ourselves! That rope won't last if we go faster and you know it!"_

_And the trio would continue treating the unconscious Gokami as they sped along over the Mendel Channel, bickering as they did._

"I forgot how sore my throat was when me and her yelled at each other so much..." The thin cat beastman rubbed his throat subconsciously.

"I bet." The duo rounded a corner and saw an open door. Inside was what looked to be an Emergency Room.

"Remember this room? When we got Gokami stabilized and..."

_"What's wrong!" shrieked Bandsome as he ran into the ER. He saw his fatter brother and Rizuko holding down what appeared to be a flailing Gokami._

_"He's trying to kill himself! Get a sedative!" yelled back Handsome as he held the distraught teen by the arms. Bandsome couldn't see Gokami's face, but it was easy to understand what he might be feeling. Why he might want to end his miserable existence._

_Self-loathing. Despair. Hatred. Disgrace. Helplessness. Such traits were common in rape victims, and Gokami got an additional of helping of torture, permanent mutilation, and spiteful incest along with it._

_And witnessing the death of his mother at the hands of that banshee on top of all that..._

_Bandsome finished loading the sedative into the needle and walked over to the melee._

_"Please Goka stop!" pleaded Rizuko as she held him by the chest._

_"Bro you got his arms?" asked Bandsome, trying to avoid his flailing legs. He could see the tear stains on the silver-haired teen's cheeks._

_"I've been holding them down for last 5 minutes! Get over here!" Bandsome walked around, got the needle in place and stuck the needle into the arm, injecting the contents of the syringe into the Nucleotype. After a few minutes, the struggle ceased and Gokami breathed normally, the slow breaths of deep sleep. All three doctors took a deep breath of relaxation._

_"Is the pseudo-LPL ready yet? Because I don't think I have enough anesthetic to sustain a suicidal Nucleotype for another few weeks if a pattern likes this continues," breathed the thin catman._

_"I've been working on it. I'll have the LPL-tube ready by next week, two at the latest," responded Handsome._

_"Get it done soon. I just..." Rizuko paused, her bangs covering her eyes. "I want him to get better...but...due to the injuries, with all of that pseudo-LPL..."_

_"He may forget everything except his basic motor skills, but it's our only option," breathed Bandsome as he wiped some sweat off his brow._

_"All right...that LPL won't get to being made itself so get to work." Rizuko sat down near the comatose boy, grabbing his hand._

_"Loud and clear." And the brothers left the room to give the catgirl some alone time with her love._

"Maybe the memory loss was for the better..." murmured Bandsome.

"Didn't we have to sedate him a few times before the LPL was ready?" asked the fat cat.

"Yeah, but thankfully we got it done in time."

The brothers turned another dark corner, entering into a room with a large, unpowered computer terminal with various screens. Handsome flipped a few light switches and sat down near one of the terminals. His taller brother was already sitting at the terminal, turning it on.

"Well. Let's hope that doc hasn't lost any of her memory after she digitized her brain..."

_The brothers walked into the room with the glowing blue tube, its occupant sound asleep. They had managed to get an apartment in a nearby slum town, along with the money needed for Beastman Cell Renewal treatment. Sitting a chair close by, Rizuko was having breathing with difficulty._

_"Doc, are you okay?" the brothers asked simultaneously as they ran over to the catgirl._

_"I'm fine...it's just that..."_

_"You haven't undergone Cell Renewal, have you doc..." murmured Bandsome._

_"Why? If you don't get your cells renewed, you'll die!" said Handsome in concern._

_"I know..." Her tired face mustered up a grin. "But only my physical body..." The brothers looked at each other in confusion._

_"What are you getting at?" asked the fat cat._

_"I managed to create a system that will allow me to essentially digitize my memories, my intelligence, and all other skills associated with the brain onto a private server. In other words, I will live on, but only within cyberspace..."_

_"So you'll watch over Goka...but how will he react doc? I mean, you both love each other still right?" asked the thin cat._

_"I'll have him placed in stasis for an indefinite amount of time..." panted Rizuko. "He sees me as a mother of some sort. It's rather cute actually...but still, while Gokami is in deep sleep, I'll watch over him and make sure he survives."_

_"And what about the _Illustrious Kazenami?_"_

_"If there's any threats to him, the shingann will protect him. Besides, the Resonance Ratio Conductor is surgically installed in his brain, so it will know when its master is in danger..."_

_She slowly stood up and began walking out of the room and into the hallway. The brothers supported her as they escorted her to the main terminal. Nearby they saw some sort of pod with a sliding door. They helped the frail catgirl into the pod._

_"Will you need any help doc?" asked the fat cat._

_"No...I already set up the systems, so there won't be anything to worry about..."_

_"Are you sure doc? What if something goes wrong and you'll die for sure!" asked Bandsome in concern. Rizuko looked towards the brothers one last time with a smile on her face._

_"I am glad to have friends like you two. I want you both to at least make sure this area stays deserted so nobody finds us. But, I do want you both to continue your duties in Falngel City. You do have to uphold your Hippocratic Oath now..."_

_The brothers nodded._

_"Well...we'll be sure to camp out up here every once in a while. You can count on that," said Bandsome with certainty. Rizuko nodded with a smile as the door closed, both brothers waving to her. To their right they saw the Computer terminals light up, the screens showing up with various downloads and a heart monitor, the slow beeps audible as the brothers looked at each other._

_"Well...better say goodbye to Goka before we head out." The thin cat nodded at his brother's suggestion as they turned around and left the room, hearing the beeps slow down until the heart monitor flat lined. Both of the brothers bit their lips._

_"Believe in her bro...believe in her..." said Bandsome to Handsome as they walked into the glowing chamber with the sleeping Gokami within the tube. They tapped the glass as the silver haired boy's eyes opened a little. Both of the cats waved._

_"Well...see ya round Goka. We'll check up on ya when we get time. Riz is gonna be watching over ya, okay?" said Handsome. The boy simply smiled and placed his hand on the glass near the brothers._

_"Well, we gotta go pay the rent. That damn dog is a tyrant, not to mention there's people to be healed in that slum dog town..." Both of the brothers placed their hands on the glass too and smiled back, before turning around and leaving the room as Gokami went back into a deep sleep._

"That should do it..." murmured Bandsome as he pressed the enter key on of the terminals. One of the largest screens showed a download screen.

**Sleep Mode disengaged. Access to Main Bed Server denied. Password Required.**

"What do you think the password is?" asked Bandsome to his fatter brother. Handsome went into a thinking pose.

"Something we should know...but many should not know?"

"Gokami maybe?"

"No. Too obvious...how about..." Handsome leaned and pressed some of the keys, remembering an important individual in all of their pasts.

**SHIOTA**

He pressed the enter key and the screen glowed green as another window opened, showing a virtual bed with a virtual person fumbling around under the covers. The brothers beamed when they saw a head pop out of the blankets.

**R12UK0 awakened.**

"Is it you two?" asked Rizuko as she stepped out of the bed. The screen fizzled out and changed to a shot of her upper body, cloths and all. A camera popped out behind the terminal and looked directly at the brothers. The catgirl within cyberspace smiled.

"It is you! Oh thank goodness!"

"Hey doc, we're here at last," smiled the fat cat.

"Yup, and we're gonna take ya to Goka too," added his thinner brother. The catgirl quirked an eyebrow in confusion as her head tilted and a question mark appeared over her head. Right next to her head, a small window called **SEARCHING**… appeared.

"Just whatever do you-" An exclamation point appeared over her head as her face contorted in shock. "He's gone! What in the-"

"Doc calm down! Just look on the Internet. I think you may find Goka there."

"Calm? How can I be calm when Gokami is missing?" she yelled, the **SEARCHING** window still running. "He's lost all of his memories save for me and his motor skills! He probably has the intelligence of a newborn! How can-" Another exclamation point appeared over her head.

"What the…" another window showed up, displaying a news article with the _Gurren Lagann_ and the _Illustrious Kazenami_ side by side at the Battle of the Degon Wastes in the Eastern Badlands, where the formerly-covert Imperial Special Operations unit met their end. An icon of a book appeared over Rizuko's head while her eyes scanned back and forth as if reading.

"He's all right…that's the _Mark 1_…"

"Told ya. We'd tell you right off the bat if Goka had a problem. Right?" smiled Bandsome.

"I suppose…" she looked to the side sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Forgive me for my outburst. I'm always worried about him, and now...Goka's become a resistance fighter! Aren't you guys worried?"

"Well duh, of course we are, but we have faith in him. I mean that's what he always said before, right?" said Handsome. Rizuko smiled.

"Have Faith in the me that has faith in yourself. That was something he always said back at Teppelin…"

An awkward silence fell upon them.

"Well anyways," Bandsome broke the silence. "We were here to pick you up and take you with us to join the resistance. That way, we can fight against Anima and get payback for what she did to Goka, though that's really a bonus next to being by Goka's side again. How about that?"

"That works splendidly Bandsome. If you could download me onto a flash-drive, once we join the resistance, you can download me into either the…" Rizuko looked to the side. "_Dai-Ganzan_or the _Dai-Gankai._ Either battleship would suffice I suppose."

Handsome rummaged around within one of the desks nearby to find a flash-drive. "Got one," he said, holding it up as he walked over and inserted it into the port. Rizuko moaned and a heart appeared over her head.

The male cat's heads snapped around towards their digitized friend. Rizuko blushed immensely.

"Sorry…just…hurry it up now would you…"

"Yeah…" said Bandsome awkwardly as he typed on the terminal, the downloading window appearing and running.

"Take care of me alright? I have back-up copies of myself here but only so much. Okay?"

"Who the hell do you take us for? We'll treat you like you're our child or something," said Handsome.

Another awkward silence descended on the felines.

"No homo?" Handsome looked towards his taller brother.

"No homo."

The download was finished quickly, Rizuko disappearing from the screen.

"Okay…let's get out of here."

"But Bandsome. What if we run into Guame's patrols?"

"It's fine Handsome. Before we left, I heard on the news that the Spiral King's gathering all his forces at the capital. Probably in case the resistance manages to cross the Mendel Channel. The chances of us being caught by the Northern Army are slim to none."

Bandsome placed the flash-drive into his lab coat and walked out of the room and down the hall towards the garage, his brother right behind him.

"What about the med base though? What if Guame stumbles upon Doc's backups?"

"This is Doc we're talking about. If she'd make back-ups in case of the low probability that we screw up, then she'd easily delete herself if any of General Guame's lackeys find the base. Now let's just hurry up and get speeding."

They arrived in the garage, pressed a few switches on the wall, and got into the hovercraft. The door began to open, revealing a ruined piece of metal debris on the side.

"Where did that come from?" asked Handsome as his taller brother started the ignition.

"No clue."

And the Nyarubanfan Brothers plus one AI sped out into the wilderness.

_The next day…_

A figure sat on his bed, looking down at his hands. His face was contorted in anything but a positive emotion.

He heard his cell phone rumble. He pulled it out, flipped it open and answered it.

"You are being summoned, Mugen Kanus."

The afro dog beastman let loose a sigh as he walked towards the door, hands in his jacket pockets and head low. He walked along the Imperial Terrace of Teppelin towards the elevator to take him to his judge and possible executioner: the Spiral King himself.

"Where did it all go wrong?" he whispered. He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a small picture of him and Codine by the beach in Anno Archipelago. His heart skipped a few beats, knowing that he might never see his beloved fiancé ever again, not if this summons went the way he expected it to.

His plans and strategies as a member of the now disbanded ISO had led to the embarrassment of the Teppelin Military and government. People now felt that their rulers could not protect them. Riots had broken out in Watscrik and Falngel the day before.

His plan to capture the Fifth Survivor had also failed, and Mugen knew Guame was more than likely going to be in attendance alongside Cytomander Hourras the Swift. He also had a feeling that the two replacement Generals would be in attendance as well.

The Big 5 were nowhere to be found, and all the other members were dead save for Mugen himself. Or, rather, Pronein the Strategist, the fifth generation number nine member. Aside from Mugen, there were no ISO members left to blame.

Essentially, he'd become the government's official scapegoat.

He was glad that Codine was on a refugee ship bound for Watscrik thanks to the incoming Dai-Gurren Brigade. Satellites indicated that the brigade had stopped at the Mendel Channel for whatever reason.

"Codi…" he muttered as he walked into the elevator. The door closed with a hiss. To the dog beastman, that hiss sounded like the first nail being hammered into his coffin.

The elevator rumbled and ascended up, above the clouds.

To the realm of the gods. To where the King sat on his throne.

**Now change of plans, next chapter will be more of a "aftermath" arc, where will we see what will happen to Mugen, see Viral and the other 2 Generals, and LG. And it will also contain the fanservice chapter as well if I can add on to it as well.**

**I think I may have rushed this chapter a bit, but this primarily the Cat brothers' flashback and reunion with Riz. We'll get back into the DGD soon enough, no worries.**

**I'm glad to see that this fic is garnering a lot of hits though. Nearly 8k hits with 91 reviews (although this fic has been out for nearly a year, and we're not even at the half-way point yet!). But hey, one thing I'll promise is that I'll expand on the timeskip more, with an additional twist, not including the Anti-Spirals.**

**If you like Naruto, Fairy Tail, One Piece, Pokemon, or Shiki, feel free to check out my other fics if you liked this one. In addition, feel free to check out my betas' own fanfics as well, them being 1 over 0 and Juubi-K.**

**Also, exams and papers hindered my writing progress, but I promise to cover a lot over the summer!**


	25. Xcution and Fun Along the Waves Part 1

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. My OCs belong to me respectively. Jack, Salaco, and Mortaco belong to Toenn Gun. X-cution comes from "execution" and "excuse". Thank Bleach for that.**

_Teppelin - Highest Level_

There was a heavy clank as the elevator stopped. Mugen Kanus looked up as the door separated with a mechanical hiss. Beyond it was the vast, circular throne room, a room in which, not too long ago, he had stood confidently and gazed down upon lesser Beastmen.

Lordgenome sat on his chair in a pose that bespoke of intense boredom, his head resting on his fist in his concubines gathered at his feet. Lordgenome wasn't the one who bothered Mugen, as the Spiral King was clearly not interested in the current proceedings.

Rather, it was the others gathered around him that caused Mugen to start sweating bullets.

"Well, well," drawled Cytomander, his tone smug. "The man of the hour has arrived." Mugen said nothing as he strode forward, placing himself between the two Generals. He didn't need to turn his head to sense Guame's silent fury coming from his right, his gaze burrowing into the dog beastman's afro.

To Cytomander's right was a blonde-haired humanoid beastman with yellow slitted eyes and beast-like hands in a brown-red combat outfit. He had his hands behind his back as he regarded at Mugen with a passive stare. To Guame's left was a humanoid beastman with the head of a Hammerhead shark and numerous limbs, and he, or she, wore a black tunic. And to the blonde beastman's right was Segundio Twoni, looking apathetic.

"Mugen Kanus," said the Spiral King, opening his spiral eyes and staring down at the dog beastman. "Do you know why you are here?"

"I have a pretty good idea. I assume that I am to become..." he paused, thinking of Codine Waterthron's smiling visage. "The scapegoat for the kingdom?"

"Yes." Mugen felt his heart plummet, knowing exactly what was about to come.

"It appears that, for someone who has the tactical brilliance of a troglodyte, you are quite perceptive. You are being charged, not only with bankruptcy and laundering of state funds, but also with responsibility for the failure of your little group. Considering that you are the only one alive," sneered Guame, "we didn't have any other options."

"I understand. I will take any punishment you give me, Spiral King." Mugen then got onto his knees and bowed, his head on the floor. "I deserve it...for my shame."

There was another pause, as if Lordgenome was thinking, before Guame broke the silence.

"Your Majesty, if I may, would you allow me the honor of setting up a firing squad for him? You heard what he said after all." Mentally, the Northern Army General was salivating at the chance of putting the mutt down for his failures. Lordgenome kept staring at the bowed dog's head.

"Mugen Kanus. You were the head of the Teppelin Special Defense force, appointed by me, and were recruited to join the ISO. For your entire tenure as a member of the ISO over the last two hundred and thirty-nine years, the Teppelin mainland has never once been attacked. Is that true?"

All of those present turned to face their King, save for Mugen who kept his head down.

"Yes, my liege." His voice was low. "I always placed the mainland above all others, perhaps maybe even the ISO itself..."

"Then I'll allow you to speak in your own defense."

This caused the Generals and the two other beastmen to open their mouths in shock. Segundio remained silent. Mugen snapped his head up, blindsided by this revelation.

"Your Majesty, I must object!" barked Guame, his pipe nearly snapping in two between his teeth. "The people need someone to blame; otherwise, they will blame you! And what better than one of those behind the recent failures and accidental strengthening of the rebels?"

"My, my, Guame you seem rather flustered about this," pointed out Cytomander, amused at his colleague's anger. Guame glared darkly at the Southern Air Admiral.

"None of your concern, pup. I just wish to have justice served."

"Guame," drawled Lordgenome.

"Yes sire?"

"Be silent."

Guame was livid, but he checked his anger.

"Yes, my liege..."

Lordgenome raised a hand, allowing Mugen to rise to his full height.

"Mugen Kanus. In your own words, why do you think that the Imperial Special Operations unit failed against the resistance?" Mugen took a moment to shake off his shock. He coughed, and straightened his back.

"Your Majesty. I had my duties as the director of the TDF to attend to in addition to my membership in the ISO, thus my mind was in two places at once. All the same, I made certain that all of my tactics - for both groups - had at least an 89% chance of success. Any lower would have been unacceptable."

It was a half-truth, for his mind was, until recently, in _three_ places: ISO, the TDF, and his eventual marriage to Codine.

"If it is as you say, then despite having to juggle duties, you were not personally responsible for ISO's pathetic failure," observed the blonde beastmen, needle teeth glittering in the light. "Although we have no evidence that your tactics really were that sound. All the same, this presents a problem to us. If _you _weren't responsible, then what caused ISO's fall?"

"Viral, who gave you per-" Cytomander fell silent at a gesture from the Spiral King.

"It is fine, Cytomander."

"One large factor that led to ISO's failure," Mugen went on, "was the incompetence of several members, particularly Ribofunf the Frenzied and Mitoseiben the Graceful. Also, every time I commenced an operation regarding the resistance, there was always an X-Factor."

"An X-factor?" asked the aquatic beastman for the first time.

"_Gurren Lagann_," pointed out Viral, his tone sour with bitter memories.

"_Gurren Lagann _has always managed to overcome the odds. Sheer luck makes it, and the resistance, far more dangerous than their capacities would suggest," Mugen added, staring up at his leader. "The defection of Royal Knight Quantei Niju and the _Serene Suinami_ has made the situation even worse.

"And it is for that reason that you will be executed, Pronein."

There was silence. Mugen's blood ran cold, his heart plummeting to his stomach. Guame's mouth twitched to form a smirk. All the other beastmen save for Segundio were shocked.

"However…Mugen Kanus, the Director of the TDF, will live. Do you understand?"

Mugen felt his blood pressure rise again. The Spiral King was giving him...a second chance!

"Yes, Your Majesty! I understand! I will not fail you!"

"Sire I must object!" roared Guame, his pipe finally cracking in his hands. "He has made the people lose faith in us! There is no one left in ISO, and someone needs to be blamed so-"

"Pronein is dead Guame. I said so just now."

"But yet he-"

"_Guame_." Lordgenome spoke more sternly, his tone intimating what would happen to his oldest General if he did not shut up. The Armadillo beastman took the hint, and turned his head away, stewing in frustration.

"Now, you will be coordinating with your fellow Generals in the defense of the mainland. What do you think the resistance will do?"

At the wave of the Spiral King's hand, a map of the mainland appeared. It was a large island, surrounded by bodies of water, with the outlying lands beyond it. There was a skull in the eastern part of the map, emblazoned across a body of water labelled _Mendel Channel. _At the centre of the island was an icon representing Teppelin city. Mugen inspected the map, as did the other two Generals.

"I believe they will go south, towards the marshy deltas," said Cytomander. "That way, it will be easier for both _Dai-Ganzan_ and _Dai-Gankai _to traverse. In addition, it's the shallowest body of water surrounding the mainland."

"That would take too long," Guame interjected. "They would need to get through Watscrik and the Ridgeback Mountain range. We already have a civilian garrison there, and you or Deputy General Ursalli would be able to respond quickly, Watscrik being a port city. They may try to surprise us by going around near the northern inlet and hitting us on the western side. They've been unpredictable in the past, so we should-"

"Excuse me, Generals, but I think you may both be wrong," Mugen interjected. Cytomander turned towards the afro-haired beastmen with a curious eye, Guame with a sneer.

"Oh? Very well then, _Director_, what would the humans most likely do?"

Mugen ignored Guame's glare. He knew of the bad blood between them due to Guame's failure to retrieve Priority 1. No doubt Mugen knew Guame was regretting even telling ISO that information.

"I think they will go straight for the capital, in a straight line." He placed his finger on the skull, and then dragged it across the map to land on Teppelin, a perfectly straight line.

"That's foolhardy. There are whirlpools along that route, and it's typhoon season in that area. Even if they somehow make it, and that's a very big _if,_ then they'll find nothing but high cliffs. Which-"

"Can be destroyed by the _Gurren Lagann_ and the rogue Royal Knight Ganmen," interrupted Viral, inspecting the map alongside Mugen. "It won't take them long to drill out the cliff to make a path for the Dai-Gans."

"I had similar thoughts. It's been their style thus far, bull-heading right through every obstacle they encounter."

"Nice assessment, Deputy General Viral," said the Peacock beastman, grinning. Viral nodded in thanks for the praise. After all, it was Cytomander who had recommended him for the post of Deputy General of the Eastern Reserves.

"Director Kanus. What would be the best way to stop the resistance?" asked Ursalli.

"Right now they have an incredible amount of strength. The _Gurren Lagann, Serene Suinami, Illustrious Kazenami, _the two Dai-Gan Fortress Ganmen, and the General customs. But we know that they are coming, and they do not know of the upcoming typhoon season and the cliffs. So." Mugen turned towards Guam. "We will need artillery set up around the cliff in order to soften them up. Then, we can commence hit and run air strikes with General Cytomander's air force."

"My men are more than suited for this task," agreed the flamboyant General.

"You said stopped and not destroyed. Why is that?" asked Guame with a curious gleam in his eyes.

"Because those three ganmen will almost certainly reach the capital no matter what we do. The best the artillery can do is soften them up and remove their allies, so that when they get here we can wipe them out in one fell swoop. And don't worry, we can add CPUs to the artillery."

"You agree that the humans will attack the capital?" asked Cytomander incredulously.

"Yes. The power of those three ganmen can only be countered with our strongest forces, so we will weaken them as they try to reach our borders, then wipe this rebellion clean off the face of the earth." Mugen finished his explanation with pride.

"Your Majesty, what do you make of this?" asked the Peacock beastman, turning towards the Spiral King, who was deep in thought, eyes closed.

"Your plan has too many problems with it," snarled Guame. "I propose we meet them at the coast. My _Dai-Gando_ and an entire contingent of heavy artillery will blast them back to the dark times. We can also use Cytomander's forces to hit them from behind with an air assault, and Deputy General Ursalli's brigades to deal with _Dai-Gankai_. With the firepower at our disposal, we can send them back to the Primordial Era."

"I have decided." All of the throne room's occupants turned towards the Spiral King. His eyes were open, glowing red.

"We will go with the plan set forth by Mugen Kanus."

Guame growled, his plan quashed.

"In addition..."

The beastmen turned towards their King, surprised, as they had expected that he had finished.

"I will take part in the battle myself. The humans will soon know..." The blue glow turned red, and light shone from underneath the throne room. It revealed a mech, similar to the shinganns and the _Gurren Lagann_. Eyes glowed menacingly from its chest, the light reflecting off the black armour. A single curved horn rose from the head, and what appeared to be a tail extended from below.

"…the true wrath of the Spiral King!" He waved his muscular right arm to the side with a dramatic flourish. All before him were awed, stunned by his presence.

"We are adjourned." He sat down on his throne, his harem climbing up to him.

"By your leave then, Your Majesty." Cytomander bowed, and then turned towards Viral, who seemed to be thinking of something. "Come, Viral. There's planning to do."

The sharkcat perked.

"I'll be along momentarily."

"Suit yourself." The Southern Air General vanished in a cyclone of wind. Guame kept glaring at Mugen as he disappeared into the earth.

"Your majesty...I would like to thank you for the second chance you have given me." Mugen bowed again. "I will not fail you! Even if it costs me my life!"

The Spiral King nodded.

"Your devotion is appreciated, Director. Now go. Deputy General Viral here will soon collaborate with you on your plans. Will you do so?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Viral obediently.

"Then you may go..." Ursalli nodded, vanishing in a splash of water. Mugen walked towards the elevator. He turned.

"Deupty General?" Viral stood rooted as he turned towards his future colleague.

"I'll join you momentarily." He turned his gaze upon the Spiral King. "There is something…I must do first."

"Very well, then." The dog beastman walked into the elevator. The muffled sound of cheering and joyful laughter could be heard through the door, and faded away as the elevator descended. The Spiral King turned his eyes upon Viral. Viral stared back.

"What is it, Deputy General Viral? Why do you stay even if I called the meeting adjourned?" drawled Lordgenome. Viral looked apprehensive, his teeth gritted.

"Your Majesty, forgive me for what am I about do...but there is something that I must know."

A moment of tense silence came upon the occupants, Segundio quirking his eyebrow.

"Very well," the Spiral King said. "Speak."

Viral stood like a statue, staring into Lordgenome's neutral spiral pupils. His train of memory ran wild. His first meeting with Kamina at the marsh...the first _Enki_ prototype almost being destroyed in the clash against _Gurren Lagann..._then suffering defeat again with General Thymilph, only that time the dark ganman, now named _Illustrious Kazenami_, assisted Kamina and his gang...and being sent flying by that snake-like ganman, not before almost being killed by Kamina and the dark ganman...then when he saw the video relay that ISO sent across the whole world...what the _Gurren Lagann, Illustrious Kazenami, _and then the _Serene Suinami_ and what they were capable of...the idea that Kamina, his rival, was dead...the thought of the armies of the Empire being bested by _humans..._by that brat Simon, who was nothing but...but a...

_A sidekick..._

What were humans?

What was the strength that gave the _Illustrious _and _Serene _their power?

What was Simon's power?

"Are... Are we beastmen truly superior beings to the humans?" he asked. "These humans..." He clenched his fists and teeth, his visible eye bulging. "WHAT IN THE SEVEN HELLS _ARE_THEY!"

The Spiral King remained silent, his face set in stone.

"Know your place. You should not raise your voice when in His Majesty's presence, Deputy General," leered Segundio in a dark tone, his eyes narrowed.

"It is fine, Segundio..."

The Knight bowed.

"Do you wish to know...Viral?"

The sharkcat nodded.

"Very well...walk with me. Segundio."

"Sire?"

"Make the final modifications to the _Overwhelm Tsuchinami._ In addition, enable the mass production of the _Enki-_class ganmen, including the Melee variant _Enkidu_, Ranged Variant _Enkifa_, and the Officer-class_ Enki-Dragoons._ We will need their firepower in the battle that is to come."

"Yes, your Highness." And the black haired Nucleotype vanished in a flash of black-green light. The Spiral King stood up and walked past his throne, halting at a particular point on the floor.

"Come, Viral..."

"Yes, sir."

The two stepped on the platform and it descended, at a much faster rate than the normal one. But Viral showed no outward sign of discomfort due to the change in elevation, and neither did Lordgenome.

They were superior beings...right?

Their elevator continued descending, past the slums at the bottommost level of Teppelin, and suddenly stopped. The sudden shock caused Viral to stagger, but Lordgenome remained unaffected. He stepped off the platform.

The chamber filled with orange light. And as the new Deputy General turned his head, he saw…

Pods…eyes…fingers...he couldn't tell.

"Beastmen are imperfect creations." Lordgenome's voice was low and deep. "In order to make their cells split and reproduce, I have to keep them in a sleep so deep they might as well be dead. If I were to awaken them too early, all of their cells would die. However, with my invention of the Life Preserve Liquid, I created a solution that would allow some beastmen to forgo this stasis for a time. You have undergone, for periods of your life, what is now called the Beastman Cell Renewal treatment process, which I have distributed throughout the world in major cities and bases. That is why the Teppelin Empire can sustain itself."

Viral nodded. He had undergone Cell Renewal once or twice, being out for weeks, maybe month in his several decades of service.

"But you are our creator, Spiral King!" He observed the Spiral King's body, which was curiously similar to that of a human. His body, and that of Sir Segundio, the absent Lady Anima, and the traitor Sir Quantei...

"So why...why are you and the Royal Knight's bodies shaped like that! Like humans?" Although Viral could not see it, Lordgenome smirked. He turned, his cloak flailing, a red light glowing in his right hand. Viral was awestruck.

"What is a human? What am I, the First Spiral King of the Teppelin Dynasty? What is Segundio Twoni: the Second Survivor, the strongest knight in the world, my shield and sword?"

The red light twisted, forming into something akin to a tiny red drill before disappearing out of existence in a flash, the room returning to its yellow glow.

"Do you wish to learn those answers? Viral?" His spiral pupils gazed into Viral's own, as if staring into the sharkcat's very soul.

"Yes...your majesty...!"

_Mendel Channel - Eastern Shore._

Sunlight glinted off _Gurren_'s shades, and off of the _Dai-Gurren's_ hull.

It had been only three days since they had defeated the Imperial Special Operations' forces and saved the world from an axis-shifting bomb. Thankfully, they had managed to avoid further conflict thus far, allowing them to recover somewhat. Apparently the Spiral King's forces needed to lick their wounds as well.

But they were still tired. So they were more than happy to be met with a massive body of water stretching out to the horizon.

Gimmi looked estatic. "It's a giant water puddle!"

"It's a not a puddle, dummy, it's called the ocean!" exclaimed Kittan with a boon.

"The ocean?" asked Darry in confusion.

"Other definitions include the sea as well as the beginning and end of where all water in the world end up," said Jack Vanguard Russel, _Dai-Gurren_'s captain and a black Labrador dog beastman.

"Huh? So this is where all water begins and ends up at?" asked Zorthy.

"The ocean, huh?" said Simon out loud as he stared out to the sea, Yoko by his side.

"It's complicated to explain, but some of the water on the surface of the ocean evaporates and becomes clouds, then the clouds deliver rain and snow to the inland areas of the globe. The water then goes into rivers, creeks, and the like and returns to the ocean, and the cycle repeats," finished Jack.

"Wow...I've heard of many stories about the ocean, but this is my first time seeing it!" chirped Nia, Quantei standing by her side with his arms behind his back.

"I have seen it a few times before, but I am glad to know that you are enjoying the ocean thus far, your highness," said the Royal Knight. The Brigade had slowly begun to warm up to the Royal Knight, as he always seemed to have nothing on his mind but Nia's welfare. Because of this, he mostly got along with the Brigade, even Simon, despite the fact that he had thoroughly trounced the digger only a few days earlier.

_Mostly,_ that is...

"Hey there! Just hang on there, Nia!" The blonde male Bachika got up next to her. "This is just the beginning! Soon we're gonna have some fun, too!" Quantei turned towards the taller man with a glare on his feminine visage.

"We have spent too much time already slacking off for our celebration over the defeat of the ISO. If anything we must make due haste to Teppelin to end this war as soon as possible," said the_Serene's_ pilot sternly.

Kittan growled. He was still steaming over the fact that Quantei still hadn't left Nia's side, not even once, during the last several days. Not even while sleeping. Despite the fact that they had saved each other from certain death, neither man really appreciated the other.

"Look here! Just cause _some_ of us don't happen to be uptight royals who don't have fun doesn't give you the right to prevent us from having fun!"

Quantei now stood on his tiptoes (for he was a bit shorter than the eldest male Bachika) and glared up at the man. "Well _excuse _me for looking out for our best interests! We could be attacked at any moment by guerillas or his majesty the Spiral King's forces!"

Now Kittan butted his head with Quantei's, and the two gritted their teeth as they glared at each other, sparks flying between their eyes.

"If we don't have relaxation we'll burn out! Trust me, I'm a seasoned guerilla and some times even we need some R-and-R! And quit respecting our enemy!"

"I'll do as I like as long as it doesn't hinder the Brigade. And we've already had some _R-and-R_ for the past _three days_. You being hung over most of the time and-"

"Sir Quantei! Kittan! Please don't fight! I know both of you make valid points, but our decision is in the hands of Simon," urged Nia. She turned towards the Brigade leader and the shapely marksmen. Simon and Yoko turned their heads at the former Princess' voice. Quantei and Kittan turned away from each other with a huff.

"Stick-up-the-ass know-it-all bastard..." mumbled Kittan.

"Rabid fecal eating ruffian..." Both of them heard the other's insults. Later, Simon would swear that he could see flames spewing from their backs as they turned to each other and muttered insults, much to Nia's dismay.

"Those two reaaally hate each other, don't they?" observed Mortaco, pilot of the _Ungoroth,_ taking a sip from her paper bag.

"Ya think?" responded her twin sister in a deadpan tone, Salaco, one of the Brigade's lead doctors.

"Now now, you two. Quit fighting. You're both distressing Nia." Kittan and Quantei simmered down but turned away from each other. "While I do believe both of you make good points..." Simon pointed down towards the _Dai-Gurren's_ leg, which was crawling with human and beastmen mechanics and engineers, led by the andrognous Leeron. The Ritona native skipped about giving orders, but seemed just a tad more occupied with creeping out the grease monkeys in any way possible.

"Both of our battleships sustained damage during the last battle, and the repairs may be complete by today. In addition, _Dai-Gurren_ needs to be outfitted with equipment in order to traverse the Channel. So basically we have no choice but to wait until those repairs are finished. But in the mean time..." The Brigade leader smiled. "Let's have some fun, everyone!"

"Yeah!" cheered the Brigade. Quantei sighed.

"I suppose you're right, Simon. My apologies for my earlier conduct." He bowed towards the Digger. Simon smiled.

"You don't need to bow, Quantei. Now let's go relax and have some fun!" Nia smiled at Simon's suggestion.

"Yes, Quantei, please have fun. For my sake."

"At your orders, your highness. And I apologize for the bowing. Force of habit I suppose." Quantei bowed again. Simon chuckled.

"It's fine."

At the back of the crowd, the silent Kirei Bachika stared nervously over the water, as if instead of gazing at a beautiful blue ocean, he stared down into a sea of boiling lava. Kittan noticed his younger brother's discomfort and walked towards him.

"Hey Kirei, what's up? What are you looking so nervous for?" The _Illustrious'_ pilot stared back at his adoptive older brother.

"_...do not...swim..."_ resounded the boy's voice inside Kittan's head. Kirei was still working on extending his telepathy to the rest of the Brigade, not just Simon and Kiyoh, and though progress was slow, he was beginning be able to broadcast simple thoughts to others. The only other person he could communicate with easily was Quantei, who had called Kirei _"Gokami Cinqus Primera"_ during the celebration. This irked Kittan, but gave him and his siblings some sense of closure, for they now know his real name. Quantei had been rather teary eyed when he was reunited with his own younger brother, another thing that had irked the Black Siblings' leader. Simon had asked Kirei whether to continue using his present name or Gokami, to which the boy had decided to continue using the name given to him by the Bachikas. Quantei had had no objections thus far, but for whatever reason Kittan suspected the former Royal Knight to be hiding something.

"Do not swim? So...we cannot go swimming because you think something's wrong?" Kirei shook his head and played some charades. He imitated the breast stroke, pointed at himself and shook his head.

"So...you can not swim? Is that it?" Kittan heard the voice in his head again.

"_Yes...Do not...know...how...swim..."_

"Ah, no worries, there's no need for you to go swimming! We'll have food and games to play out on the sand!"

"Hey boys!" yelled out a familiar voice as most of the Brigade turned their heads, and the male pilots gawked. Standing before them were the Bachika girls, all in swimsuits. Yoko looked peeved.

"What's with those clothes...?" she muttered. Kittan immediately placed himself as a shield between his sisters and the overly-interested males.

Kiyoh was wearing a rather skimpy yellow bikini that emphasized her lush curves perfectly. Kirei blushed and looked away, feeling embarrassed. Yoko's eyes twitched a little as she gazed upon the hips, thighs, and busom of the blonde female Bachika.

"They grew again..." she muttered to herself.

The bespectacled Kinon had donned a green one-piece that exposed her navel. Out of the corner of Kirei's eye he could see Rossiu acting in a similar manner to himself.

And the younger Kiyal was wearing a simple two-piece.

"When you're at the beach you should have fun, right?" said Kiyoh. She turned her head to regard the silver-haired boy, wondering why he was sulking over by the edge.

"That way we can see if the rumors of the water being salty are true or not," added in Kinon. She heard a faint "They are!" from Mortaco.

"So put on your trunks and let's go swimming everyone!" cheered Kiyal, pumping her fist in the air.

"Swimsuits..." breathed Kidd.

"Everyone..." salivated Zorthy.

"That equates to..." added Attenborugh. As if on cue, the pilots and personnel turned towards Yoko and Nia. Nia looked confused, her naiveté in full force, while Yoko and Quantei looked unamused as they glared at the others. Simon felt anger rising at the fact that the others treated his girlfriend like eye-candy.

"All of you..." growled the redhead.

"Insufferable lust-filled plebeians..." muttered Quantei through clenched teeth.

"Perverts..." Simon clenched his fists. But before they could commence a beating on the pilots, the two younger Bachika girls cheered.

"Let's go!" All the pilots made a one-eighty and cheered too.

"Alright~!" they roared. As if on cue, the two younger girls jumped into the ocean from the prow, and the crowd dispersed. The males ran into the open hangar, tossing their clothes as they ran. Yoko gave a sigh.

"I guess we have no choice, do we, Simon?" She turned towards her boyfriend who stared out at sea, and gave a small smile.

"I guess so, and besides..." he turned towards the taller redhead. "I get to see you in a swim suit too for the first time!" Yoko blushed.

"Well...I guess it's alright if it's for you..." Simon and Yoko's hands intertwined and they raced towards the hangar to change. Nia and Quantei followed slowly, unhurried.

Mortaco gazed over the edge, hand still clutching her paper bag-bottle.

"That's a looong way down," she said. Salaco came up from behind and smirked before shoving her sister over the edge into the water.

"Bitch~!" yelled Mortaco before she landed in her natural habitat with a splash. Kinon and Kiyal laughed. Salaco sniggered.

"Always wanted to do that," that said. The fishgirl doctor went towards the open hangar. Kiyoh realized something.

"Hey Sal?" The beastwoman turned her head.

"Sup?"

"Where's Adiane and Thymilph? I noticed that they're not here." Salaco pointed her finger to her right, which the two remaining Bachika's followed. Between the _Dai-Gurren_ and the_ Dai-Gankai_ there seemed to be smoke coming from a grill. Numerous humans and beastmen appeared to be lying around it. Nearby an umbrella stood watch over a figure laid out on the sand.

"Boss man is making us flying fish buns and Adiane is taking in some rays. If you're wise, do not interrupt her under any circumstance," droned Salaco. The buxom Bachika chuckled.

"Will do! Now go get changed before your sister comes up to strangle you in a drunken rage." Now the fishgirl chuckled.

"It's more fun whipping her as when she's drunk because she can't feel a thing. But O gotcha." She walked towards the hangar, hands in the pockets of her lab coat.

All that was left was Kiyoh and Kirei, Kirei still gazing down at the water.

"Hey Kirei, what's wrong?" The skimpy clothed Bachika kneeled down next to the silver haired boy. On cue all of the men from the hangar rushed past them and jumped into the water, some forgetting how to dive and falling face first or even worse, belly first. Laughs resounded as cries and hollers from Kittan and Zorthy rang out.

"_I don't know how to swim..._" responded Kirei in a depressed tone.

"Then I'll teach you! No need to be bummed out about that, silly!" chirped Kiyoh, helping Kirei up.

"_Um...really? I don't mean to-_" He gazed into her form, her plump curves for him to be the sole witness, her valley in front of his face to which he aimed his head down, only to see his beloved's plump thighs against one another. Suddenly he felt his face going into her breasts.

"Look, it's fine. Don't think about Kittan or what others think, okay? Let's find a shallow spot to ourselves. That way I can be spared being eye candy and you from any grief," reassured Kiyoh. Kirei smiled and nodded.

"_Okay then..." _And the silver haired boy returned the hug, accidentally placing his hands on her rear. Kiyoh giggled and Kirei looked puzzled until he felt where his hands were and turned even deeper shade of red.

"I don't mind being intimate Kirei, you don't need to worry about every little thing, okay?" Kirei looked hesitant but nodded. The two separated and held hands.

"Now then, let's find you some swimming trunks!"

"Hey, guys! _Look_!" Attenboorugh pointed towards the _Dai-Gurren,_ where several figures were walking out of the shade.

The eager pilots ogled them as they came out of the huge land battleship's shadow.

Yokos swimsuit consisted of a yellow, flowery cloth strapped around her waist that went to the top of her knees, and a top of the same color. By her side was Simon in simple black trunks, his core drill around his neck, and Boota on his shoulder.

What irked some of the pilots was that the marksman showed _no skin_, much to their disappointment. They all huddled up.

"What in the hell? What's with that thing around her waist?"

"Yeah! She's showing _less_ skin than usual! What's up with that?"

"She's got zero _cleavage_ with that on!"

"And without the gun she's nothing!"

Yoko was not amused as Simon stepped away in silent fright, her eyes and mouth twitching.

"I get it already!" she roared. Then she posed. "But Simon and I thought that this looked rather cute, don't you agree?"

"We sure did," smiled Simon.

"Dumbass!" yelled Kittan. "What's the point of modesty when everyone else is half-clothed! And the more you show the better!"

"Don't diss this outfit or I'll pump all of you full of lead!" hollered back Yoko with equal fervor.

"Umm...Yoko you can ignore them, I mean-"

"Hey Simon?" said two voices, causing the bickering humans and a few beasts to turn towards the source. They gawked at what they saw.

Nia was wearing a simple white one-piece with a simple white frilly skirt around her waist, fitting her slender petite frame. And the person next to her...

Quantei was blushing beet red in embarrassment and frowning, for the only swim suit he could find his size was a _girl's_ bright red one piece that fit his feminine athletic frame snugly. He had his arms crossed over his chest, feeling exposed and ashamed to appear this way before his princess. But she had thought it _was_ cute...

Once in every man's life comes a time when he is forced to question his own sexual preference. For the male members of the Brigade, this was that time.

Quantei stood staring at his toes, his face turning red. Nia beamed that smile of hers that was known to cause temporary sugar shock. Between them the cuteness level had risen to dangerously high levels.

The Brigade turned into posed statues at an instant, their gazes riveted on the pair.

Except for Makken, who just stared at his watch with a disinterested look.

But _Kittan_ of all people was enthralled. Yoko and Simon's mouths formed dual O's, their eyes wide.

"Yoko was right...it truly is better to conceal than to reveal," said the blonde Bachika, as if hypnotized. Then he took a grand bow towards the red-piece wearing beauty.

"Now whatever is your name, my honey?"

"Shut up, you plebian..." muttered Quantei, rubbing his upper arms and turning his head away, which caused Kittan to snap and stare at the Royal Knight, pointing his finger at him and gawking. The other pilots - save for Makken - followed suit.

"How can...how can a guy look..." gasped Kidd.

"No way...I've sworn to love women, and yet..." muttered Iraak.

"You...you...you!"

Quantei, the boy that was his adoptive younger brother's older brother, making him a half-brother, looked..._heavenly...beautiful…_

Which caused all of them to scream and run towards the water, save for Makken who just stood looking bored.

"How can you! Why! Why you damned genitalia why!" yelled Kittan as he yelled at the water.

"Stupid junk!" "Yeah, you mixed up and dun goofed! "Really dun goofed!" roared Jorgun and Balinbou at each other, only staring down.

"How can I think that way about a dude? WHYYYYYYYYY?" yelled Iraak, grabbing his head, eyes bulged.

"And then there was Nia and compared to that guy is like...is like...!"

"I think I sold my soul to devil!" Kittan turned towards the Royal Knight. "This all your fault!" He turned away, muttering to himself.

"Stupid, sexy, no-good she-man..." muttered Kittan, rubbing his shoulders as if trying to warm himself.

Zorthy was doing nothing but sucking his thumb. Kidd shrieked when he noticed this.

"Zorthy's the first to fall guys! He's playing pretend!" hollered Kidd. Zorthy realized this, stared at his thumb, and yelled. Kidd yelled too and they stared back each other and staring back his thumb, yelling at their highest of octaves. The other men followed, yelling "YOOOOO!" at them and at each other.

Yoko and Simon could do nothing but stand there dumfounded.

"What..." Yoko gasped.

"The fuck?" Simon followed.

"Was that?" They said in unison. Nia was chuckling.

"Wow! I guess we made the right choice didn't we, Quantei?"

"I suppose we did...your Highness." The dark-skinned feminine boy could feel nothing but embarrassment. How in the world could males react that way, and even compare him to a girl!

"Umm...Simon?" Simon turned to Quantei's voice.

"Yeah?"

"Do I look like a-" Yoko knew what was coming and, wanting to save her boyfriend's sanity, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him towards the grill near _Dai-Gankai._

"You look like the manliest piece of man I've ever seen, but put a towel over yourself..." said the redhead as she took the Digger, leaving only Nia and Quantei.

"So...do you wanna play in the water your highness?"

"Of course! Let's go play with Kiyal and Kinon! I think Mortaco is with them as well!"

"As you wish." And the two ran towards the waves near the Dai-Gurren's prow, where the two Bachika sisters and the fishgirl would be enjoying themselves.

Nearby in a small lagoon on the right side of Dai-Gurren, Kiyoh stood in the water, guessing its depth to be about four feet or so.

And grabbing onto her arms was Kirei, donning pure white trunks and slowly pumping his legs to and fro, his face looking down at the water as he tried to concentrate.

"That's it. You're doing a good job. Keep moving those legs," smiled the tall blonde amazon as her boyfriend nodded.

"_This is unlike the container in which my guardian kept me in…the liquid is so…salty…" _resounded her boyfriend's voice within her mind.

"What was your guardian like? I'm curious," said Kiyoh as he continued to try and keep her boyfriend afloat. He looked so adorable…

"_Well…she always took care of me and saw me as if I was her child. But at the same time, when she was lonely, she would empty my container and we would sleep in the same bed together,"_He lost balance and speed in his practice, his mouth opening in worry and accidentally swallowing some of the water. He spit it out as the taller and more buxom blonde chuckled, both at his tiny mistake and at the sand beneath her feet.

"Is that so? She seems like some sort of mother figure to you." Then the sun shined on the lagoon, making the water sparkle, as if the blue substance was made of constellations of stars. Added with the image of Kirei learning how to learn something as innocent and cute like swimming, the image was made intensely beautiful in her mind's eye. Her face began to turn a little pink.

"_I suppose she was, but at the same time she was something else too…" _His face contorted into concentration as he continued moving his legs up and down.

"Was what?"

"_Well…"_ he looked up to her with an awkward look on his face. "_She would cry sometimes and she would kiss and hug me, but stop and feel ashamed for some reason…" _Kiyoh's head quirked.

"For what reason? Did she do anything bad to you?"

"_Not that I can remember. She's always been kind to me. In a way…" _his face looked downcast. "_I still miss her…and before I knew anything about her my mind is all one giant blank. I don't know where I came from except…"_ He remembered those faint images he saw during his fight against ISO not too long ago. There was a slender woman with brown hair, red eyes like his own, and a fox tail, holding his hand. His hand looked like that of Darry's so…could she have been his real mother?

But that couldn't be. The fox tail gave it away. She was a beastwoman, and so was his guardian with her cat tail and cat ears. In addition, he always hated the word "_animal"_ for some reason. It sounded…familiar…but when he thought about it he could think of nothing. Just a feeling of hatred. If anything it only added more questions. He had tried to approach the newcomer Quantei Niju about it, but the boy seemed to avoid him for some reason. It wasn't hatred or embarrassment, more like shame or maybe sadness. He left the dark-skinned boy to his devices until he felt it was ready to confront him. Kittan didn't let the matter drop and it only added to the tension between his adoptive big brother and his so-called real big brother.

"Did you know what she looked like at all? Can you remember that much?" asked the blonde Bachika. Now Kirei's cheeks turned bright red and his eyes looked down in embarrassment, thinking of how the few times he could remember sleeping with his guardian that for some reason she _guided_ him along. If anything it only added to his cuteness.

"_I think…she may have looked a lot like you. Only with some…cat-features you know?" _Kirei stopped, shifting around to touch the water with his toes as he looked up at his beloved, who just continued to smile.

Why was her smile so...heavenly with the water's reflection of the translucent light?

"So I look like her, huh? Just add cat-ears and a tail and I could be her twin?" The boy nodded and looked away. Maybe she'd criticize and yell at him claiming that he only fell for her because of her looks…

But instead her hands cupped his face and she delivered a kiss upon his lips. His eyes went wide with shock as hers closed with bliss. She separated as she reopened her beautiful blue eyes and gazed into his scarlet ones.

"It's okay…I won't be mad at you. Is it because I look like her that you were so comfortable around me at first?" Kirei was dumfounded but nodded. She gave a small chuckle.

"Well in that case…I am glad that she and I look alike…" Kiyoh grabbed his right hand placed it on her left breast. Kirei gasped a little.

"Don't pull away…this is our chance to be alone…" Kirei relaxed, listening to her voice as if it were the ode of angels, and slowly massaged and felt her large breast, feeling its plumpness and contours with gentle but experienced care. Almost as if he had done this before. Kiyoh blushed more and moaned.

"You're doing good sweetie…grab the other…" she urged and as if under a trance, the _Shingann_ pilot obliged, placing his left hand onto her right mountain, groping and feeling her with care. Kiyoh closed her eyes and let out gasps of pleasure. The cooking Kiyal had made helped, its contents having expanded her bust, hips, and thighs, making her figure that of a true hourglass. She slowly rubbed her thighs as she felt a rising warmth from her lower abdomen.

"Kirei…I want…to confess something to you…" breathed the blonde. Kirei looked up at her.

"_What is it...?"_ Then she pulled him into a hug and kissed him. Prepared, the silver haired boy return the embrace, his hands exploring her and feeling her softness as she traced her fingers along his hard athletic features. They embraced each other closer, Kirei feeling his lower body getting hotter and a tent slowly starting to form, the stimulation of her thighs only making it more so. Kiyoh was the same way, as she rubbed her thighs in order to appease the rising warmth coming from her crotch and the butterflies in her stomach.

"Kirei…when this war is over, when we defeat Lordgenome and make a society where man and beast can live equally…" She pulled apart, placing her forehead on his as they stared into each other's eyes.

"_Yes Kiyoh?"_ Kiyoh's face was bright scarlet, much like her adoptive little brother's face so close to hers. Was this feeling how her mother felt when she met her father? The feeling was so hard but yet…so amazing.

"I want...I want..." She paused, gazing into her beloved's eyes...

"I want!"

**Haha! Cliffhanger! This is part 1 of the Fun in the Sun saga. Part 2 will be the epic over-thetop conclusion, and we can continue with the war for human independence!**

**And it's with great honor that I can tell you that both Words Without a Voice and Nucleotide are now on TV Tropes fanfic reconmmendations! Thank you so much readers! I have really come a long way, this story being a year old. But that means by maybe next year (or Christmas) we can get to the final battle (with the AS). And forgive me for the slow updates, but my other fics(that being CMM and Never Alone) have gotten a fanbase(CMM moreso), and there's Dynasty Gundam 3, the new Star Tours(I live close to Disneyland).**

**I think the farthest I'd go are limes, and make a full out lemon/consentual hentai doujin esque side-story seperate from this site. Maybe on AFF or maybe here. I dunno.**

**Big thanks to 1 over 0 and Juubi-K for edits.**


	26. Xcution and Fun Along the Waves Part 2

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. My OCs belong to me respectively. Jack, Salaco, and Mortaco belong to Toenn Gun. And the concept of the Extreme Flaming Volleyball Deathmatch came from both Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt(concept) and my awesome beta 1 over 0(name).**

**Also, Hot Links=Hot Dogs. Just so ya know.**

* * *

"Hey come on Gimmy! Wait up!" yelled out a familiar young girl's voice that made both Kirei and Kiyoh jump. Kirei turned his head to look back at the lagoon entrance, while Kiyoh glared over his shoulder. The blonde Bachika let loose an audible sigh of frustration.

_'Are you kidding me…'_ she cursed mentally as she pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

"Haha! I'm faster than you are!" goaded Gimmy, his voice bouncing off the rocks.

"Gimmy, it's too dangerous up there on the rocks! You could fall!" yelled out Rossiu's voice.

"Well, there goes the mood…" muttered Kiyoh as she walked over to the edge of the lagoon and climbed over to dry land, scooping up her towel as she did so. Kirei followed not too far behind.

_"Why do I feel angry all of a sudden for us being interrupted like that?"_ asked the silver haired boy.

"It's called _being cockblocked_. It's a terrible feeling and you're not alone."

Kirei dried himself off with his own towel and wrapped it around his waist. The two walked along the small path out of the lagoon and met up with the Adai Brigadeers.

"Oh hey, it's Metalhead!" chirped Gimmy. Kirei let loose a sigh. Was the boy still calling him that?

"He has a name you know," retorted Kiyoh in his defense. Gimmy suddenly looked apprehensive; apparently he hadn't forgotten that incident during Kirei's coma. He stepped back and stood near Rossiu.

"Oh, hey, Kirei, Kiyoh. What were you doing back here?"

_"Kiyoh…teaching…wim…"_ Rossiu only got shards of Kirei's response, but he was logical enough to deduce he was trying to say.

"I see. Learning how to swim?" Kirei nodded in response.

"He should be careful! If he's not careful his head may get rusty and turn green!" chuckled the redhead before quailing under Kiyoh's hard stare. Though, to be honest, his remark had little effect.

_"It only turns green in chlorine…"_ muttered the Shingann pilot to himself.

"Well if you'll excuse us, we're going to get something eat. We're done with lessons for today." A stone-faced Kiyoh took Kirei by his hand marched him past the Adai children. As she did so, Gimmy moved so that Rossiu was constantly between himself and the angry blonde.

"Hey Gimmy, what's wrong? You seem scared," pointed out Darry, still clutching her stuffed rabbit. Gimmy turned towards her and suddenly smirked.

"Me? A real man? Scared? As if!" His tone was boastful. Rossiu wasn't as convinced as Darry was, and stared at the back of the retreating Bachikas. What made Gimmy scared of them…?

It wasn't Kirei that he was scared of; he was too comfortable teasing him to be afraid. No, what seemed to make him scared...was Kiyoh?

Rossiu couldn't fathom why. Kiyoh was always so cheerful and polite.

"Well then, let's go play. That lagoon there looks like a nice place to swim." The young children seemed to agree and ran along to the small pool. Rossiu left them to their own devices and pondered the riddle before him.

What on Earth made Gimmy so frightened of Kiyoh?

* * *

Simon and Yoko walked together side by side to the great collective of man and beast waiting in line near a table and a large frying grill. Boota was sitting upon the Digger's shoulder.

"One at a time, one at a time!" yelled Jack as he sorted various burgers and hot dogs into their respective buns. He turned towards his commander, who was hunched over the grill.

"Hey boss, we need more! Can you fire up some more links and patties?" he yelled. Thymilph gave him a thumbs-up, grabbed another handful of meat, and threw it on the grill.

"Wow, guess a lot of people are hungry," remarked Simon. He even spotted some of the mechanics taking a breather and getting some grub.

"Well, the lot of them were goofing off for a long time while we hunted for swimwear," said Yoko. "Could you grab me some of those _links_, whatever they are? I'm going to go grab a spot before all the good ones are taken."

"Sure!" replied Simon with a smile up at the redhead.

Yoko returned the grin and took the towels from her boyfriend's arms. Boota hopped over and nestled himself in her cleavage. Paying no heed to the pig-mole, the redhead ran off to find a sunny picnic spot.

"Hey Jack." Dai-Gurren's commander greeted the assistant chef with a grin. Jack returned it with his own small, toothy smile.

"Hey commander. Hungry?"

"You bet. Oh, and you can call me Simon. No need for formality. After all, we're supposed to be relaxing, right?" Jack gave a nod, crossing his arms over his white stained apron inscribed with the message _Top Dog For Top Links._

"Aye aye Simon." Jack was glad personally. Simon gave off vibes similar to the former Eastern General. Nice, respectful, and most of all, informal. For that reason he was more than happy to socialize with the boy. To think that over a week ago he would have dismissed him as an inferior life form and an enemy. Now he and his kind were having a beach holiday with a barbeque to boot!

"So, what would you like?" The black Labrador beastman looked around. "And where's your girl at?"

"Getting a spot."

"'Aight. So I got Hot Links, burgers, some shishkabobs…" he turned around and leaned to get a better view of Thymilph's monster-sized grill.

"And some pig-mole steaks. Want some?" Simon went into thought.

"Well, Yoko wants a Hot Link or two…" He thought of having some of the steak, but rejected the idea upon realizing that Boota was going to be eating with them. He didn't want to traumatize the poor animal.

"I guess I'll go with a burger." Jack nodded.

"Coming right up." He quickly put together Simon's order. One salivating burger on one plate, two Hot Links in bread and deep-fried seaweed buns on the other.

"Also, be sure to come back later tonight." Jack leaned in closer to the boy's ear. "It's a surprise, so tell no one, well, 'cept your woman of course."

"What's the surprise?" The boy became intrigued. Jack salivated, his long tongue hanging out.

"Deep fried…with cinnamon sugar and whipped cream on top…" His hands moved as he wrapped them around himself, his eyes closed in bliss.

"Ice cream…deep fried vanilla bean ice cream…" He started to pant as he stared into space, hearts and stars swirling in his eyes. Simon quirked an eyebrow.

"O~kay…" He slowly began to walk away to find his girlfriend. The black Labrador beastman noticed one last Hot Link that was still warm. And his stomach was growling…

"Well…I guess I could eat this. I deserve it for my hard work after all!" He placed his hand on the dog.

Then, suddenly, there was another hand on the piece of meat. He looked up, and stared into Kittan's visage.

"Oi, can I have that Link?" Jack growled.

"Hey, I've been busting my tail serving the crew food. It's your loss that you've been doing nothing but yelling in the water and spending ten minutes taking deep breaths. Besides, I need to keep my strength up."

Now Kittan glared and growled.

"You're serving food, you don't gobble it down mutt!"

Now Jack got into his face.

"_Hey!_ I ain't no mutt! I am a full purebred black lab! Don't compare me to some mangy mutt!"

Now Kittan's head was butting with his as the two bared their teeth at each other

"Well I happen to be fighting to save your fur-covered ass while you sit aboard Dai-Gurren!"

"I happen to be the ship's captain thank you very much! Also I happen to be a much better strategist than some backwater human like you!"

Kittan placed his foot on the table, prepping his arm. A crowd of humans and beastmen gathered.

"Hey guys cut it out! We've been through hell and high water together. And this is a holiday, we shouldn't fight like this!" yelled out Dayakka, trying to keep the peace in the slowly growing human mob.

"You guys get mad over the most trivial of arguments…just quit fighting already," snipped Salaco, joining Dayakka over on the beastman mob. Their words fell on deaf ears.

"Oh! Think you're better than me, eh! I happen to be stealing ganmen right under your slobby noses most of the time!"

"Bring it you-"

"Hold on!" bellowed a loud voice, causing Salaco, Dayakka, Jack and Kittan to stare towards the source. There was Thymilph, arm's crossed over his brown and yellow _'Kiss the King Kook'_apron.

"It seems that there is an altercation here, yes?" rumbled the gorilla, staring down at his subordinates. After the battle, Thymilph and Adiane, due to their battle experience and skills, had been promoted to Deputy Commanders of the Brigade. Suffice to say, many of the human Brigadeers did not take too kindly to their promotion. After all, the Dai-Gurren Brigade was a group originally dedicated towards _human_ liberation.

"I just want something to eat, boss. I'm famished after working up a storm."

"Well, I'm hungry too! Pilots need to keep their strength up, right!" Some of the Brigade's human pilots agreed with the blonde Bachika's statement.

"Well, that's the last Hot Link we got, and I will not see an altercation like this turn violent under my watch," growled Thymilph. He had come to respect the Digger even more after he had stopped the_ Dai-Gankaminari Saiken_ with Sir Quantei and Kirei Bachika. To be able to stare down the face of death, and the possible elimination of the over ten percent of planet earth's surface…the gorilla was more than proud to fight alongside the human boy.

"However, back in Watscrik, we had a saying: If you want something bad enough, you win that something through sport." And the former Eastern General gave a feral grin.

"We'll decide this with a unique game…"

* * *

Nia let loose a battlecry as she swung down her kendo stick, carving the watermelon into identical-sized slices.

And the stripes moved, revealing it to be some seaweed creature wrapped around a melon. It scuttled back into the ocean.

"That was amazing, your highness! All in one strike too!" praised Quantei. Behind him, Kinon, Kiyal, and Mortaco had their backs against each other and panted.

"How in the hell did she do that?" gasped Mortaco.

"Wasn't that thing harder than a rock?" wheezed Kiyal.

"Well…she is the Spiral King's daughter, right?" panted Kinon. "Maybe if her dad is a super strong man, then it might run in the genes."

"Oh it was nothing Sir Quantei! It was thanks to your teaching of course!" chirped the cloud-haired girl.

"I'm more than glad to be of service your highness." Quantei bowed. Nia chuckled.

"Simon did say to stop bowing. We aren't in the palace, you know."

"Old habits die hard I suppose. Forgive me." And he bowed again, earning another playful chuckle from Nia.

"Alrighty then. Friends! Let's eat the watermelon which I have cut up!" The other girls walked on over.

"'Bout time. I wanna chow down and get my tolerance up a notch." Mortaco reached down and started eating on a watermelon slice.

"I wonder what the boys," Kiyal took a mouthful and munched. "Were yelling about earlier."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," pointed out the dark-skinned Nucleotype, his face slightly red. The purple-haired Bachika rolled her eyes.

"Sure thing. _Mom."_ She and Mortaco chuckled and gave each other a high five.

"Nice one."

"Thanks fishface."

"Hey everyone look! Over by the _Dai-Gankai_!" Nia pointed towards the massive insectoid battleship and saw a crowd gathering, and loud murmurs.

"Huh? That's near Boss' grill," pointed out Mortaco.

"Let's see what's happening," said Kinon. The girls and the Royal Knight nodded and ran across the sand towards the massive ship of the Western Navy.

"Alright, listen up!" boomed Thymilph's voice across the bickering crowd. The situation had to be neutralized quickly; Kittan and Jack's quarrel had sparked a small flame of indignation in the human troops. After all, the reason they had banded to the Gurren Brigade in the first place was to fight beastmen, not work alongside their very oppressors that kept them underground and held the fear of earthquakes over their heads.

Likewise, the beastmen of the former Western and Eastern militaries of the Teppelin Empire were claiming of that if they did not join, the humans would have been wiped out by the ISO and that they were alive only because their leaders said so. In addition, some bleeding hearts were arguing that Thymilph couldn't be more disappointed, but as a warrior, he knew that the best way to resolve conflicts like this is through another conflict without the need of bloodshed and death.

Well, not _a lot_ of bloodshed. A considerable amount, but nothing lethal.

The conflict he knew very well as sports.

"Obviously we've got some issues here, and in order to resolve these issues, we are going to host a unique game! This way we will resolve our conflict and retain our passion for fighting the enemy on the battlefield!"

"Is this gonna be…" murmured one badger beastman to another, who seemed to be covered head to toe in fur.

"Yep. It's gonna be one of _those_ games…"

"We…" He turned towards his grill and started to dig through its contents. Metal, coal, anything. His yellow-and-blue-striped overall swimsuit stretched as he searched. After some digging he held out a dirty-looking ball.

"Are going to play volleyball! Jack! Get Adiane over here!" The dog beastman paled.

"Why me! You know how she is if I interrupt her!"

"Tell her I sent you and you wager your manhood if you're wrong! Now go!" Jack gulped, his fear of neutering just barely surpassed by his need to obey. He ran towards the sole umbrella and the figure laying on a towel some meters away, soaking up the sun.

"What's going on here!" bellowed Simon as he and Yoko made it through the crowd. Thymilph gave a smile.

"Ah, Simon! We were about to begin a game to resolve some issues here! Don't worry, it's sort of non-violent, all under control!" assured the hulking gorilla. Simon had his arms crossed.

"What _issues_ are we talking about here?" Salaco was nearby and pointed at Kittan and the pilots near the human mob.

"Your blonde friend there wanted a Hot Link, so did Captain Jack, but they got into a beef and then..." She pointed towards all the other bystanders. "They were calling each other out. Racial stuff, you know."

The Digger ground his teeth. "We fought alongside each other, helped stopped a bomb from falling on our heads that would have tilted the planet's axis, we even celebrated together…and you all still can't drop these grudges…" Some of the humans looked away, ashamed.

"Well, excuse me!" barked the blonde Bachika. "I happen to have lost my mother and my village to these guys! And you think that-"

"My mom and dad died right in front of my eyes in an earthquake caused by the beastmen! And do you see me complaining and thirsting for vengeance now?" Simon glared down the Bachika. Kittan closed his mouth.

"And besides, Yoko and the residents at Ritona village have lost friends and loved ones, and do you see her and Dayakka and the other Ritona villagers getting up in arms?" Simon continued. Kittan's shoulders slowly began to slump.

"Here is some advice, Simon. It's better to let out some anger and frustration out in a competitive game than at each other on the battlefield. That way, we won't have to worry about soldiers dying of _friendly fire_. I understand what you are saying, but trust me. This method will work." Simon continued to stare up at his newly instated Deputy Commander of the Brigade and turned his head around to look at the Brigadeers.

He could see it. Resentment, anger, frustration, superiority (racial in this case), and mistrust. On both sides. He gave a sigh.

"Alright, then. What is this game you have in mind-" He was interrupted when Boota gave warning cries and pointed towards the sky. He saw an object streaking towards him and jumped to the right.

The object, or rather the person, landed in the sand, his legs and tail twitching. Thymilph knelt down.

"So is she coming?" He asked. The figure, identified as Jack, gave a thumbs up, before slumping to unconsciousness. Yoko's eyes were wide.

"She has a mean uppercut if she sent him this far."

"I have a nastier one if anyone gets sand on me. Once sent some urchin flying over the Dai-Gankai," growled a female voice. At that cue, all the beastmen made a path for the second Deputy Commander.

Adiane Waterthorn.

Thymilph couldn't help but grin like a fool, while some the male Brigadeers gawked(save for Simon).

The long blue-haired beastwoman was scantily clad in naught but a blue bikini that was flimsier than even Kiyoh's. Her bikini even had cups that were similar to the eyes of her ganman, Sayrune. Her eyepatch seemed to be connected to a red tattoo that slithered down her whole body, crossing down in-between her large breasts and then around her slim stomach twice, through her crotch and onto her left leg. On her right thigh she had another red tattoo of a scorpion. Her countenance was that of annoyance.

"To be honest Adiane, I think you could have gone easy on the poor lab. Nearly knocked his trousers off," joked the gorilla. Adiane crossed her arms under her chest and looked indifferent.

"You all know how I am if someone interrupts me sleeping. You're pretty much the only exception. So, what did you want? The dog offered that I could neuter him if this was all a joke. Not that he needs it." Some of the male Brigadeers and all of the beastmen covered their privates subconsciously.

"Well, there were some tensions rising between the humans and beastmen here while we are having fun, and we can't have that can we? I mean, think about the time wasted for your sunbathing." Adiane nodded.

"That's true. If an incident did occur I'd lose precious time trying find ways to castrate them."

_'She's still that indifferent towards humans huh…' _thought Simon, Yoko, and Dayakka at the same time.

"So, we decided that we would release some of that tension with some games! And this one you and me will be playing in!" Adiane finally gave a smile.

"Like old times back in training school, huh?" Thymilph nodded. The snake-scorpion looked at her nails and smiled.

"Count me in." Thymilph turned towards the humans.

"Alright, we will need human players. Man versus Beast! Who wants to step up?" Many of the men looked apprehensive. If Adiane's launching of Jack were of any indication, they would be walking into a slaughter.

"Oh! Are you playing volleyball Sir Thymilph, Lady Adiane?" chirped Nia's voice. Standing near Nia was, Mortaco, Kinon, Kiyal, and…

"Oh god not again!" shrieked Kittan.

"Whywhywhywhy!" hollered Zorthy as he closed his eyes.

Iraak was in the fetal position. "I'm supposed to like women. I'm supposed to like women. I'm supposed to like women." He continued his mantra.

"That's it!" "Cheese it!" "Extra cheese it!" bumbled the twins, already running.

And the other pilots, and some other male humans, ran to the beach hollering and chanting their sexual preference.

Quantei looked down as if he hoped the sand would somehow swallow him up.

"Sir Quantei, why do Mr. Kittan and his friends always do that when they see you? Is there anything wrong with the swimsuit I helped picked for you?" asked Nia innocently. The olive-skinned Nucleotype could only sigh.

"Nothing…nothing at all your highness." He couldn't bear to upset her, even if he were reduced to…looking as he did right then.

"So Nia, you wanted to play or something?" asked Adiane. Strangely enough, for all her abuse towards others who annoyed her, she seemed to have gotten along well with Nia during the three-day celebration, even talking informally with her.

"Why yes! I loved to play this game with Sir Quantei back at the Capital! Can we please play?" Thymilph looked incredulous while Adiane smirked.

"Sure why not?" The humans and beastmen all gasped.

"Wait, isn't that a bit unfair? I mean…" Simon could easily round off the reasons.

Height. Advantage: beast.

Power. Advantage: beast.

Speed. Most likely advantage: beast.

Experience. Most likely advantage: beast.

Quantei gave a self-assured smile towards Simon. "It will fine. Nia and I are well accustomed to working together in sports."

"Then it's settled! You two!" Thymilph pointed towards several humans and a badger and monkey beastman. "Get us something we could use to make a net!"

"Yes sir!" Then he pointed towards Simon, standing next to Yoko.

"Simon! Will you be score keeper?" Simon shrugged.

"I got nothing else to do. And it is fair as leader of the Brigade to oversee this game," replied the boy. Kirei and Kiyoh had finally melded with the crowd, although Kirei was jumping up and down to get a better look.

_"Kiyoh, what's happening? Wasn't there going to be a brawl?"_ asked the silver-haired Bachika.

"Not anymore I suppose. I think they're gonna settle this on a game."

_"A game?"_

Adiane turned and saw Kiyoh amongst the dispersing crowd. Then she turned her one good eye towards Yoko, and gave a mischievous, leering smirk.

"Hey Bachika, Ritona!" barked out the Elegant. Yoko looked peeved while Kiyoh perked at attention.

"Which one?" asked Kiyoh. The snake-scorpion rolled her eyes.

"You of course. I need you and Kiyoh to be our showgirls. You," She walked over near the grill and pulled out several white boards with the black and bold numbers **MATCH 1 **to **3**inscribed on them. In addition there was an **INTERMISSION **card. The two human women looked annoyed.

"Why should we?" they said indignantly. Adiane simply posed.

"Well normally I would be happy to do so, but Thymilph needs help beating the human team, and that loli in the red suit is playing so I can't ask her."

"I'm a guy, not a girl!" roared Quantei, although his feminine voice didn't help his case.

"What's a loli?" asked Nia in confusion.

"And since you two happen to be the two most stacked members of the Brigade, what better way to grab a crowd?" She swayed back and forth to demonstrate, her own breasts swaying in tandem. Yoko and Kiyoh gave her a deadpan stare.

"And besides, you can help contribute. Now quit giving me that look. It will give you wrinkles." The former General smiled knowingly as their glares faded to frosty haughtiness.

Then an idea popped into Yoko's mind. Simon would be watching...and thus this was a unique opportunity for her to show off everything she had, something that he would otherwise probably object to...

In Kiyoh's head, the exact same thought was running through. To see Kirei blush as she held that sign aloft, strutting back and forth with all her female grace...

The two girls turned towards each other, their looks telling them that they thought the same thing.

"For our boys?" asked Yoko.

"For our boys," answered Kiyoh.

_A half hour later_

A net was set, made out of steel barbed wire and other assorted metals, cloth, and rope. Torches stood at the corners of the rectangular field. Streaks of black sludge marked out the boundaries of the field. Near one end of the net was a huge tall chair with an umbrella and a scoreboard, Simon sitting in the chair with a whistle around his neck, and Kirei operating the scoreboard.

At one end of volleyball field was Thymilph and Adiane doing stretches, and their crowd of beastmen subordinates cheering them and wishing them luck.

At the other end was Nia and Quantei, also stretching. The human crowd looked nervous and apprehensive, due to the huge size difference between the Princess and Knight and the two former Generals.

"Hey Hey hey! What's going on here!" yelled a voice as some humans shuffled around. Kittan burst through and gazed at Nia and Quantei.

"Oh Mr. Kittan! We are about to play a fun game with Sir Thymilph and Lady Adiane!" smiled the cloud-haired girl. Kittan took in the scenery.

Raving fans.

Barbed wire net.

Fire-spewing torches.

Adiane and Thymilph sporting feral grins as they warmed up.

"You call this a game! This could be an attempt for them to capture and-" He got whacked upside the head with a whiteboard sign.

"Enough already, we've been over this," said Yoko. Kittan writhed in agony as he held his head. "Besides, if they wanted to assassinate of kidnap Nia, they could've done so a long time ago. We can trust them. Just watch the game."

Kittan rubbed his head and growled, ready to fire a retort towards the yellow-swimsuited redhead before he was interrupted.

"Mr. Kittan it will be alright! I am very good at playing volleyball and in addition I have Sir Quantei as my partner!" Nia smiled a look of pure reassurance. She brought a finger to her delicate lips in thought. "What was it Simon said? 'Believe in the you that believes in me?'"

"Something like that," muttered the blonde Bachika. "But still! You're going up against..." He pointed towards Thymilph and Adiane, the gorilla flexing his neck, with audible cricks sounding from it. Adiane was flexing her tail, also with audible cricks. "And you and Quantei are..."

"Mr. Bachika. I can assure you that Nia and I will have this game under control. So please quit worrying on account of us," said Quantei as he and Nia took the center of their respective court. Kittan sighed and went back into the crowd.

"Okay, let's toss to see who serves! Nia! Heads or tails!" asked Simon from atop his high chair, holding some coin.

"Um...I don't know. You can ask Sir Thymilph and Lady Adiane instead," smiled the princess, which caused the human spectators to groan.

"She doesn't have a clue does she..." muttered Iraak.

"Maybe it's because she's too nice?" Kidd guessed.

"What would you have chosen?" asked Zorphy to Kittan.

"I would have chosen heads, if only because it was the first mentioned."

"Adiane and Thymilph?" asked Simon, giving the choice to the beastman players.

"We choose tails," oiled Adiane. Simon nodded and flicked the coin into the air. It fell to the ground.

"It is tails. Beastmen get the first service!" Kiyal threw the ball to the beastman side of the court and Thymilph picked it up. The ball could easily be crushed in his right hand.

"Alright then!" He leaped up and hoisted the ball into the air, as Quantei and Nia braced themselves.

And Thymilph swung his right hand down, sending the ball speeding towards the ground.

"This is gonna be a slaughter!" protested Kidd.

"I can't watch!" "Can't watch!" bumbled the twins, both of them closing their eyes. Kittan was biting his nails. He disliked Quantei immensely but he did not want to see...his _perfect, sculpted, _form tarnished. And the same applied to Nia, only much more so.

But instead of a crater being formed by Thymilph's spike, Nia had, in a burst of speed and surprising everyone present, intercepted the ball and bopped it back into the air with her arms.

"What!" yelled both Thymilph and Adiane in surprise. Using their shock against them, Quantei took the initiative and leapt up, the sun reflecting against his red girl's one-piece. With a feminine roar, he slammed his arm down, sending the ball down into the beastman court.

The ball came down with a hard crash, making a crater in the sand, and the former General and Admiral regarded the result of Quantei's hidden strength with open mouths and wide eyes.

The audience around them was no different. Nia clapped in a girly way.

"Marvelous, Sir Quantei! It's just like those times we played against those Phys-Ed bots and maids back at Teppelin!"

"It is nothing your highness. Your intervention helped me score, allowing you to get the assist."

The cloud-haired girl turned towards Simon and Quantei. "Mr. Simon. Mr. Kirei. Quantei and I receive a point for this service. As I'm sure you know, whoever reaches seven points first wins the match, and the best 2 out of 3 matches wins." She kindly pointed this out turning her head to the side and smiling. Simon shook himself out of his stupor, grabbed his whistle and blew.

"Point: Humans!" He turned towards Kirei. "Are _you_ that strong?"

_"Beats me bro."_ He added a point to the human side of the scoreboard.

And the human crowd cheered immensely.

"Whoa man! What do Teppelineers eat!" shouted Zorthy.

"Did you see how fast she was? And that crater Quantei made!" Gasped Iraak.

"Fast and strong!" Really fast and strong!" Agreed Jorgun and Balinbow.

"NIA~! QUANTEI~" Roared Kittan, gaining the duo's attention. "Kick their asses!" The pilots all roared in agreement.

"Okay Mr. Kittan! Sir Quantei, let us kick the 'asses' of Lady Adiane and Sir Thymilph okay?" Quantei nodded, and gave a glare to Kittan for such crude language.

Meanwhile on the beastman side...

"She's her daddy's daughter that's for sure..." said Salaco, her eyes wide as she sucked on a lollipop, impressed. Mortaco was still rubbing her round orange/yellow eyes.

"I did not just see that waif and that shota just out-speed and overpower Boss and the Queen of Mean...maybe the booze is having an affect on me..." The fishgirl doctor, who smiled slyly, slapped her back.

"Yep. All them mehitos and margaritas are screwin' up your eyes. Now if you quitted you-"

"Nah. It's not. It's just crazy stuff that's happened ever since we joined up with the Brigade," affirmed Mortaco to herself. "I mean, Adiane getting along with humans without killing them, three kids managing to stop a moon-buster bomb. Yeah. Just crazy shit happening-" She was silenced by a spinning volleyball to the face, sending her flying to the ocean. Salaco watched her go with an apathetic look before picking up the ball.

"Point: Humans!" The human side roared with cheers as Kirei added a second tally mark. Regaining their composure, Adiane and Thymilph got together.

"Like father like daughter huh?" Thymilph knew what Adiane was implying.

"And given Quantei's training as a Royal Knight. We underestimated them."

"Alright. All out?"

"All out. And besides," Thymilph gave a feral smile as he turned his head towards the two dimunitive opponents. "I do like a challenge after all." He remembered an old saying that 'good things come in small packages.' It couldn't be more right. Salaco threw the ball to the other end of the human court.

"Now if you'll excuse me. I need to go confirm if my sister has a concussion, brain lapse, broken skull, all the above, or worse. Ciao." She left the crowd and headed towards the shore.

Quantei grabbed the ball and leapt, spiking it down towards the Beastman court. But the former Imperial commanders were ready, and Adiane slid to make the save, bopping the ball back into the air and leaping back to her feet, courtesy of her tail. Thymilph charged and delivered a drop kick to the ball, sending it towards the human court. As Quantei regained his composure, Nia kicked the ball into the air.

"I thought volleyball was meant to be played with hands?" pondered Kinon. One of the bear beastmen next her, in a mixed human and beast crowd, crossed his arms and grinned.

"Not in our variant. Teppelin Volleyball can be played with your arms, your legs, back, head, tail..." As the ball came back down, both Quantei and Adiane leapt to shove ball back into the opposing court...

Only for Adiane's breasts to bop the ball over Quantei to land behind Nia, who was still recovering from her kick. The humans' mouths were O-shaped as Simon blew his whistle.

"Even tits."

"Point: Beastmen!" And the beastman crowd roared. Thymilph and Adiane gave each other a high five.

"Bet they didn't see _that _coming did they!" Adiane grinned like a fool, one of the few times anyone had seen her genuinely smile.

"Damn right!"

Nia looked ashamed.

"My apologies Sir Quantei...if only I were older I would have had a more developed chest and-"

"It is clearly alright your highness! There is no need to reprimand yourself!" reassured the dark-skinned boy. He turned towards the beast players, his eyes narrowed in determination.

"This game is just getting started..."

Thymilph hoisted the ball into the air and spiked it with a loud clap using his large right hand. Quantei dived for the spike and the ball was bopped back into the air. Nia ran up and gave the ball a knee, sending it high. She jumped, as did Adiane. The beastwoman turned her body to repel the spike from Nia's slender yet powerful arm. The princess spiked, and was blocked by the scorpion tail of Adiane. The ball sped past Nia and over Quantei, who was still trying to get back to his feet. The ball slammed into the sand, digging a small crater as it spun.

"Point: Beastmen!" Another cheer from the beastman crowd.

"You may be our former princess," oiled Adiane, motioning towards Nia. "But don't expect us to take it easy on you." Her snakelike tongue flicked out in a bloodthirsty way.

"But Lady Adiane, if you had held back, would the match not be lacking in pleasure?"

Everyone looked puzzled at her vocabulary.

"I believe the term would be...what was it that Mr. Kittan said at one time?" The former princess looked pensive for a moment. "Boring?"

Adiane's face shifted to annoyance.

"Oh? Think of this as boring huh?" Nia just smiled and tilted her head.

"Yep! Even the maids hit much harder than you did Lady Adiane! But you're still playing very well!" The snake-scorpion's teeth clenched in a fearsome grimace.

"Fine!" roared the blue haired female. "I'll make this un-boring for you if it's the last thing I do!" Many in the Beastman crowd could have sworn that they saw flames bursting behind her. Even Thymilph looked nervous.

_'Rule number four when dealing with Adiane Waterthorn: Never, ever ever ever EVER, say anything she does is boring.' _Thought the gorilla.

Nia took the ball and somehow, according to some onlookers, her eyes flashed green before returning to her flower-like pupils.

"Pure Heart Flying Swallow!" she yelled, arching her arm back and swinging it down hard. The ball glowed blue and the flashed forwards, putting a crater at the feet of the surprised beastmen.

"Point: Humans!" Adiane ignored the cheers and looked towards Thymilph, who nodded. Thymilph tossed the ball in the air as Adiane leapt on his shoulders and jumped. She did several somersaults and gave the ball a sharp and powerful axe-kick.

"Scorpio Meteor!" The ball soared down, like a meteor. Quantei slid on the sand, got on his hands and aimed his legs at the crashing ball.

"Raishoumon!" Electricity crackled around his legs, and he gave it a sharp kick upwards. Nia leapt to follow the speeding ball as Adiane fell back to earth.

"Flower Tower Artillery!" Her yell, along with the poses of the two human contenders, made the men drop their jaws in awe...and the tightness of their suits.

She spiked, only for Thymilph to make a surprise burst of speed and bump the speeding pink and sky blue flaming ball with his large gut.

"Condemn Bulwark!" Quantei responded, his eyes glowing green, with another spike.

"Kaminarimontoppa!" Adiane made the save with her tail, popping it into the air.

"Shadow Snake Striker!"

"Blue-Sky Savior!"

"Alkaid Asura-Blitz!"

"Super Queen Field XX!"

"Great-White Riser Missile!"

"Hoshitoppa Joushou!"

"Condemn Bubble Butt Bump!"

"Really boss...using your ass?" muttered Salaco holding a knocked out and groaning Mortaco over her shoulder as the twin streaks of sky-blue, pink, green, red, and dark blue streaked over the field.

"Holy crap, this match!" yelled Kidd.

"Is anyone even scoring?" Kittan had his hands in his hair in deep suspense. Kirei was tacking down tally marks as his head darted from the scoreboard to the field.

_"Uh...3 Points to humans...2 points to humans...2-agh I can't keep up!"_ He had his hands bunched in his hair as he jumped down to where Kiyoh and Yoko were hiding behind the signs. Simon and Boota followed after.

"I think that Dai-Gurren is looking really pretty right now don't you think?" said Simon as a huge sandstorm kicked up. The multicolored streaks darted through the sand, ignoring the sand around them.

"Totally!" The two couples grabbed each other's hands and ran to anywhere but the ravaged court. The humans and beastmen were doing the same.

"Orarararara!" Quantei's voice yelled.

"Mudadadada!" Thymilph.

"That's the last time I ever want to get a Hot Link ever again!" roared Kittan. The recovered Jack ran neck to neck with him.

"That's the last time I ever eat something when on the job!"

Within the slowly growing sandstorm, both teams ran towards the net where the ball was slowly hovering. They both jumped.

And spiked the ball.

* * *

Rossiu walked behind the bickering Adai children, his fingers rubbing his eyes, which stung due to the salt in the water.

"I held my breath longer than you did! 23 seconds!" boasted Gimmy.

"You poked me underwater!" complained Darry.

"Well maybe you shouldn't have whacked your bunny on me when I obviously stated that I could swim faster than Ironbrain."

"Stop saying mean stuff about Mr. Kirei!" It puzzled Rossiu to no end. Why did Gimmy constantly take pot shots at the kind gray haired Bachika? He hadn't exactly done anything to him, not to his knowledge. And judging from earlier, the Shingann pilot didn't seem care about the jests.

However, Gimmy was much more quiet when it came to Kirei's adoptive older sister and obvious lover.

"I'll say whatever I want to say about him! He thinks he's so cool in his Shingann and stopping that Kanimeri-saiwhatchamacallit, but Kamina would have done it with his pinky finger!"

"That's silly. Kamina would never have-"

"You're a girl you don't get it!" Gimmy snapped. Rossiu's eyes rose. He knew Gimmy was still quite upset over the former Dai-Gurren Brigade leader's death, but it was unusual for him to lash out at the girl who had been his best friend since they'd been toddlers.

"Get what?" Rossiu was impressed with Darry. Most children her age would have yelled back or probably put up a temper tantrum or cried to Rossiu. But knowing how Gimmy would give some sort of retort, as eldest he felt he had to intervene.

"Now now you two, stop fighting, or else I won't let you read Father Magin's holy book tonight." That made Darry simply nod and Gimmy pale before nodding. The boy looked up to the late Kamina and, ironically, Magin as well. Then again, considering how the head of Adai treated Darry and Gimmy like his own grandchildren, Rossiu didn't blame them.

_"If they only knew..."_ thought the black haired boy.

Suddenly he was thrown off of his feet by a gust of wind, landing on his back to the sand, as did the children. Gimmy landed in the water. As Rossiu lifted his head up his eyes widened.

There was a mushroom cloud of sand and dust near the _Dai-Gankai_. Running towards it, he saw many people strewn limply on the sand. Thankfully, they twitched and groaned, so they were at least alive. But what had caused such a catastrophic event?

Nia groaned as she spit out sand and sat right up, seeing the scene before her eyes.

The barbed wire net was in tatters and strewn about in different directions. She was in a massive crater. She could see Quantei twitching, his lower body encased in the sand.

Nearby, Thymilph was buried in the sand, only his twitching lower legs visible. Adiane seemed to be recovering as well. She stared at Nia. Then Nia surveyed the carnage of the many people groaning outside the crater.

"Well that was fun! We should play again sometime!" She turned towards the very exhausted snake-scorpion. "Right Lady Adiane?"

Adiane only did one thing.

And that was to fall onto her back.

Suddenly, the cloud haired girl saw a recovering Simon and Kirei. Apparently the Shingann _Illustrious Kazenami _and _Lagann_ came to their masters' rescue by sheer will, protecting them and their girlfriends.

"Hey Simon! Kirei! Who is the winner? I lost count when Quantei and I were ahead 342 to their 339!" The recovering boys and girls turned towards each other, eyes wide and mouths open.

"Uh...it was a draw...time expired..." muttered Simon.

_"Let's not host another one of these ever again,"_ said Kirei into the minds of Simon and Kiyoh. Yoko only got bits but understood, and they all nodded.

"Awww! A draw! But we were in the lead!" pouted Nia.

"Let's just...clean up and prepare for dinner." Yoko turned towards her bustier friend.

"What's that Kiyoh?" The blonde pointed towards the strewn out carnage of tables, blankets, umbrellas, people, swimsuits, crabs, sand-crabs, people, food, barbwire, people, and grills outside of the sand-crater.

"Because by the time we finish cleaning up this mess it will be well into the night."

"Okay, what the hell!" yelled a voice, causing the conscious group and Nia to turn towards the source. There was an angry Leite, followed by several mechanics and an amused Leeron.

"Oh my~. It seems I missed out on quite a bit of fun!"

"Fun! Their _fun_ caused a friggin' sand explosion and clogged the gears over on Dai-Gurren's open left leg unit! Now we'll be stuck here even longer!" Now she turned on the paling Kirei and Simon, hands on hips, as fire seemed to erupt behind her. "Now who's responsible?"

They pointed towards Nia, standing with her hands clasped in elegance and confusion.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, and Leite deflated. For some reason, as much as she would want to rip the ass of the one responsible, if it was Nia, she couldn't.

"Oh nothing deary!" chirped Leeron as he turned towards Leite. "Besides, look over there." He pointed, and the group turned.

Out in the ocean there was a great mass of clouds, reaching high into the atmosphere. At their top the clouds were white, but as they drew closer to earth they turned darker and darker, looking almost black. It didn't help that rumbles could be heard from the direction of the coming storm.

"What is that..." awed Yoko, for she had never seen such an immense storm.

"A monsoon. It's a huge storm in other words. We are fortunate to have something like this rather than a tropical storm or, Helix forbid, a hurricane or typhoon," pointed out a recovering Quantei as he was getting out of the sand.

"And to think, if we had left after the repairs..." Simon couldn't bring himself to finish. If the Brigade had been caught up in a storm like that, they would have collided with a more powerful force that wasn't even in under the Spiral King's command.

"Personally, I think it's better if we wait just a little longer. Like a day or two until the storm passes before Dai-Gurren is in any condition to keep up with Dai-Gankai and-_Oh my~"_ Leeron had his sets sight on Quantei, who froze like a statue under his gaze.

"My my my Quantei deary you look _so_ ravishing and beautiful in that tattered swimsuit~. I could just gobble. You. Up." The dark skinned Nucleotype took a step back every time the androgynous mechanic took a step forward. "I have the most exquisite idea. How about you and I hang out and have a makeover and compare our sizes?"

_"Is he gonna get..." _Simon cut off Kirei's telepathy.

"Something much worse..."

"SAVE ME!" And the former Royal Knight sped towards the Dai-Gankai at breakneck speed, leaving behind a cloud of sand. Leeron couldn't contain his laughter.

"Oh I always love it when they do that!" chuckled the mechanic. "Although in all seriousness he was a cutie patooti."

"Can we just get to cleaning this up, calling in the medics, making a meal and getting inside before the rain comes..." moaned Yoko.

"Alright we're on it." Kirei and Kiyoh hopped in the _Illustrious_ and Simon hopped into _Lagann_ and they sped off to clean, search and rescue, among other assorted tasks.

Out on the ocean, the thunderclouds rumbled.

* * *

_That night..._

Kirei stepped out of the shower, pleased with having finally gotten all the sand and saltwater out of his hair.

The clean/rescue effort went by swiftly, thanks to Leeron bringing up the old hoverbarge from when Kirei was found by the Black Siblings way up north. They'd just managed to load the last groaning figure onto _Dai-Gurren_ when the rain started to fall and the thunder started to boom.

Following that, the beastmen and humans reconciled over their actions that afternoon in the form of another barbeque inside Dai-Gurren's hanger bay. In the silver haired boy's opinion, they reconciled only in fear of having another one of the _games _taking place.

Of course, having _Lagann_ and the Shingann looming over them had also helped somewhat.

As he dried off, he thought back to his time with Kiyoh in the lagoon. It was then he truly knew, and without a doubt, that the two of them loved each other. But what was it Kiyoh was about to say before Rossiu and the children interrupted them unintentionally? And why did Gimmy seem to scorn him yet was fearful of Kiyoh? It made Kirei curious.

He heard a door opening and lifted his head up as he wrapped the towel around his waist. There in his room, dripping wet from the rain, was Quantei. He still bore that girl's swimswuit, even if it was in tatters, revealing his slender and feminine figure.

"I bet you are wondering why I am here, aren't you." For whatever reason, Kirei didn't seem to mind Quantei being in the same steamy room as him while he wore nothing but a towel over his gymnastic streamlined physique.

"_I...it...irous...re...ou here?"_ Quantei nodded, understanding the fragments coming from Kirei's telepathy. His eyes were looking down gazed down at the floor.

"I needed to tell you. I was afraid and nervous at first. And ashamed too, for as your big brother I failed."

Kirei quirked his head in confusion.

"Listen...if you want to have your friends and..." He seemed to pause as he took a step closer to him. Kirei still was warm, from the shower's water, while Quantei seemed to be borderline shivering. "...Your family...to listen to what I have to say...then they can..."

"_Lis-what? Wha-you-say-antei?" _Quantei lifted his head, showing his tears as a lightning bolt flared outside, illuminating the darkened bedroom. He lifted his arm, and his hand cupped Kirei's cheek. Kirei's eyes widened in surprise, but he did not pull back.

"They can know. About how you disappeared fifty years ago. About how your mother and my sister were killed. About how you lost your family and everything, and...how you lost Rizuko Inuzaki, the one you loved..."

* * *

**The Drama! The suspense! With the end of the Flaming Volleyball Deathmatch, we are now going back to the serious stuff, and what you readers have been wondering: When will Quantei tell Kirei about his past?**

**And yes, that last scene does have some Ho Yay but Quantei really looked up to his younger brother way back when, for all shall be revealed. Hope to whatever girls are out there liked it.**

**For the next update, I dunno really. There was a Naruto/Manyuu Hikenchou I wanna try out, but I'm gonna wait till there is an archive for it (Manyuu). So it may be CMM, Never Alone, or Darkmask. Giver and SCSLSC are pretty much on hiatus till further notice.**

**Beta'ing thanks to 1 over 0.**


	27. Revelation and Declaration

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. My OCs belong to me respectively. Jack, Salaco, and Mortaco belong to Toenn Gun.**

**AN: Note that somethings will be changed up due to a rewrite occurring in the earlier chapters. Just to let ya all know.**

Kirei stood silent, stunned at what Quantei had said.

"_Wha?"_ Quantei heard inside his head.

"She was the beastwoman you fell in love with sixty years ago, back before you disappeared. When I saw you with that Kiyoh girl I wasn't surprised you were so attached to her," He let off a wry laugh. "She looks exactly like her save for the ears and tail."

Kirei remained quiet, his mouth unmoving as he sat down by the bed, his eyes at the floor.

"_Tell me…"_ Quantei heard inside his mind. _"What was I? What happened to me? Who was Rizuko? Please…" _It was much more clearer to understand now.

"Would you like your family to listen in as well?" Asked Quantei, also sitting by the bed close to the person who was his brother. The lightning outside flashed again, giving the room some light. Kirei nodded dumbly.

"_I need to change anyway,"_ said the silver haired teen. Quantei nodded and stood up.

"I will go and collect them then. For now, I'll leave you to your thoughts…" And the olive skinned androgyn left the room, Kirei still looking at the floor.

He had wondered. What was he? Where did he come from? Who was Rizuko, and yet why did she and Quantei seem so familiar?

But another question had plagued him ever since the day Kamina died in battle. What made him feel such agonizing pain inside his head? He didn't have the time to form a mental bond with him, and although they both had rough first impressions on each other they reconciled.

So why did he see those visions? Those flashes when he was in the Shingann's cockpit. He vaguely remembers bits and pieces of those flashes, as it was blurry and going by faster than he could blink.

But the only thing he could make out of it were glowing green eyes, some illuminated orange place, and blood.

Whether or not it was his own he didn't know.

Was it coincidence? Maybe he ate something before the battle and had a migraine?

But no migraine would leave him bedridden for days on end. That's impossible, both Leeron, Leite, and Salaco, the latter a professional doctor, confirmed it.

He may have had an answer to who his guardian's name was, but he still had many questions that needed to be answered.

As to why he hated the comment "_You smell like a beastman" _so much. So very very much…

_Later…_

Kirei heard the click of his door as he sat up from his bed. The last half hour was him devoting his time to the ceiling above him, staring as he thought. And in the doorway was Quantei and the Bachikas.

"Yo bro, I heard you wanted to talk to us?" Asked Kittan as he walked in, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Ya, Quantei here wanted to have all of us together. What's up?" Asked Kiyal as she sat down at the end of the bed. Kinon stood nearby and Kiyoh sat down next to him.

"I was going to tell Gokami here about his past. He felt that since you are his family, you all deserve to hear it with him," explained Quantei.

"So what? What does it matter if Kirei's past has an effect on us? It's not like as if he's a serial murderer or anything. Besides, if he was some sleeper spy for the Beastmen, I'm sure he had plenty of times to stab us in the back but has always protected us," said the male Bachika, as he gave a thumbs up and a smile towards his sibling. "Ain't that right brother?"

Kirei nodded, giving him a smile in return. "_Yes, indeed,"_ replied the mute. Kinon remained silent, observing the conversation.

"Do you wish for me to tell them, Gokami?" asked the olive skinned Knight. Kirei nodded.

"It's Kirei not Gokami!" corrected Kittan. Quantei rolled his eyes.

"I'll start from the beginning." He sat down at the end of the bed across from Kiyal. "Lordgenome Teppelin, the First Spiral King of the Teppelin Empire, sought to recreate his fallen best friend Keelle Suun, who died sometime before the Empire began and the humans were forced underground."

"Hold on," interrupted Kinon, speaking for the first time. "You said that humans were forced underground, you mean to tell me that humans originally lived on the surface?" Quantei nodded.

"Yes. However, Lordgenome did not tell us why, only that the humans deserved to be forced underground. Whether it's for beastmen domination or something else I do not know."

"But weren't you a high ranking member in his Empire or something?" Asked Kiyal.

"I was, a Royal Knight. Although I had access to confidential files, history before the Empire's rise is blank. I could find nothing, only that humans originally lived on the surface before beastmen came along."

Kittan slammed his fist into his left palm. "So he stole the surface from us! The bastard!"

"Moving on. Lordgenome had a DNA template of Suun before he died, just enough to create a sperm sample. Once he managed to make a reproductive sample, he experimented on a beastman still in developing stages. Once the beastman, or should I say beastwoman was created, it yielded a result Lordgenome has never before seen. The beastwoman wasn't actually a beastwoman at all, but rather more human."

"What do you mean more human?" asked Kiyoh.

"Beastmen were originally animals upon creation, some hybrids in Adiane's case. When they matured and hibernated in LPL, they evolved and gained human like traits. This is what creates beastmen. But for this woman's case, she had fully functioning human organs, including reproductive organs." Kittan's eyes quirked.

"Huh? Beastmen can't reproduce?" The knight shook his head.

"They lack the organs, or that their organs do not have the capability to reproduce and they are sterile. Either way, the only way beastmen are created is via cloning. That's it."

"This must be an incredible asset for Lordgenome," remarked Kinon observantly. "He gains an army of customizable soldiers, and keeps complete control over them via controlling the machine that creates them."

"Perceptive. It helps in Lordgenome's case because he can have a firm control over the beastman population, by controlling the maker of their species," said Kinon with her hand on chin in thought.

"I thought so as well. The beastwoman also had greater genes than the most matured beastmen can possess. So Lordgenome took her in and taught her the arts of war and education. When Lordgenome had enough DNA to create another sample, he named the Beastwoman…" He looked towards Kirei, a melancholic look upon his face. "Prima Primera. The First Survivor and first Artificial Nucleotype created."

"Survivor?" Kiyal said curiously.

"Nucleotype?" Kiyoh said as well.

"The Survivor term came later as he named the process of him using Suun's DNA, dubbed the Keelle Revival Project. He thought of the results of using the sample on beastmen, but decided to use humans instead. So he sent beastmen to capture female humans and treated them as his consorts, being injected with the sample and becoming pregnant with child."

"But the pregnancy was unorthodox, especially for humans. The term of pregnancy lasted for over three years and usually made them immobile due to the size of the child in the womb." The girls blanched.

"How big was the kids upon birth?" asked Kiyal.

"About the size of a five year old. Due to complications, C-Section was the prefered method of a childbirth after a dozen deaths."

"How horrible! To treated as cattle like that!" exclaimed Kinon. Quantei shook his head.

"On the contrary the women who were selected were treated fairly well, like queens and nobility. This was a front yes, but considering the selection for women to be impregnated was rather rough. They had to be evaluated and not have any genetic flaws or defects."

"What happened to those that did have flaws?" asked Kittan.

"Tossed back into the wasteland to fend for themselves for those who failed the first selection process. But this took a long while, since we had to examine every nook and cranny of the female body and gene. The selection process for a single human female usually took about four years, maybe two if they worked nonstop. It's why we only had a good one hundred woman selected to be birthers over nine-hundred and fifty years."

"Wow…that long?" Quantei nodded to Kiyoh's response.

"The Spiral King must be ancient…wait…How old are you anyway?" asked Kittan.

"Over three hundred years of age." The Bachikas' mouths went ajar.

"Explain why you don't make Old Coco look young!"

"LPL. It slows down the aging process. When I was still loyal I usually bathed in it everyday, as did the rest of my siblings, Gokami included."

"If you're his older brother…" Asked Kiyoh, pointing from Quantei to Kirei next to her. "How old is Kirei?"

"A century and a half." Now all the Bachikas, Kirei included, had wide eyes.

"_I bathed in this…LPL… daily…for over a hundred and fifty years?"_ Kirei's voice existed only in their heads, but it actually managed to splutter.

"Well we also slept in it, for weeks on end," replied Quantei.

"You say we, and I remember you labelling Prima as the 'First Survivor'. Are there others? Is Kirei one?" Quantei nodded.

"Yes. I am the Fourth Survivor Quantei Niju, and Kirei is the Fifth Survivor. His proper name is Gokami Cinqus Primera."

Quantei paused and let the info sink in to the Bachikas, who were silent.

"Gokami Cinqus Primera huh?" mutter the blonde buzom Bachika as she sat by Kirei. The silver haired teen had similar thoughts.

"Hey hold up! Prima had the same surname!" pointed out Kittan. "Which means…"

"Yes. Prima is Goka's mother, and since Prima is my sister, it would also make me Goka's uncle as well. But due to us having the same 'father', namely the DNA template, we are also brothers as well."

Kirei's mouth hung open.

He was more than seven times older than Kiyoh. He had been created artificially. On the plus side he had found out the identity of his mother. That brown-haired woman with the fox-tail from that vision when he awoke from his coma to fight ISO…

"So if you are the Fourth, this Prima is the First, and Kirei is the Fifth…" pondered Kinon. "Who are the Second and Third Survivors?" The olive-skinned androgyne paused.

"Ah yes…Segundio and…" As the rain poured from outside and the thunder rumbled, Quantei's face turned into a scowl as he remembered.

"And who?" Asked Kiyal.

"The Second Survivor is named Segundio Twoni," continued Quantei, ignoring Kiyal. "He is over seven hundred years old, and is a Royal Knight like myself. As for the Third…" He paused, his scowl deepening.

He could clearly recall how Anima had returned, bleeding from a wound to the back of her head. She had cried, and claimed that Prima had died. Gokami and Rizuko were dead too, she'd said. No, she couldn't remember where, she couldn't even remember how she'd gotten back. It had been two cat beastmen, she'd said; they'd escaped in a hoverbarge with the Illustrious.

Quantei had watched in silence, thinking, suspecting. Anima had always been good at playing the victim. Unfortunately, despite his suspicions, the trail had quickly gone cold. Quantei had grudgingly taken Anima's word, as had Segundio and Lordgenome.

Now Quantei had found out the truth, and he was ready to pay her back for over a half-century's worth of treachery.

"Well? Are you gonna finish that thought?" demanded Kittan impatiently.

"Her name is Anima. Anima Threesai." As the last syllable rolled off his tongue, Kirei's eyes went wide.

Anima Threesai…Why did that name seem so familiar? And why did it make him angry? Why did it make him clench his fists?

But yet why did it make him feel like something else?

He felt…_dirty_ somehow, as if the day's events had tainted him in some intangible but undeniable way.

"I assume she's a Royal Knight as well?" asked Kinon. Kirei continued to stare at the sheets, trying to remember who this Anima character was. Kiyoh noticed his distraction.

"Kirei?"

"Yes, she's a Royal Knight like myself and Segundio. No doubt when we approach the capital city we will meet those two in combat."

"We'll need to relay this to Simon and Thymilph then, if we're to know our enemies. Do you know how they fight and what type of shinganns they use?" asked the bespectacled brunette.

"I do. I wanted to tell this to you first since you are Goka's new family. A much better one." There was sadness in his tone.

"What makes you say that?" asked Kiyal.

"I do. I'm more than willing to help you, for Goka's sake." A hint of sadness entered his voice. "Ours has never been a particularly…close family. He deserves more; that is, he deserves you."

"What makes you say that?" asked Kiyal.

"Anima never liked you, Goka, and I'm almost certain she had a hand in your disappearance." Quantei stared at Kirei, who was still deep in thought. "Do you remember anything? Of your mother or how you disappeared?"

Kirei began to think of his answer. His earlier vision during the ISO battle implied that he was on good terms with Prima, his mother. This Rizuko woman also was on good terms for despite his physical appearance of a thirteen year old, they were already sharing the same bed.

Yet the green eyes, the blood, the flashing lights, the 'I'm Sorry' mantra…

Why couldn't he figure out anything from it? And why did it make him feel so uncomfortable?

He gave his answer.

"_My knowledge regarding my past is limited, although you have answered many questions Quantei, and for that I must thank you. I now know who my mother is and who my guardian is as well."_Kiyoh perked up.

"Your guardian? You mean the one who took care of you in that underground base?"

Before Kirei could give a response, the ship jerked, causing the occupants to shuffle around to regain balance. Kittan stomped over to the intercom nearby Kirei's door.

"What's the big idea! Why is _Dai-Gurren _moving!" He hollered into the intercom.

"We're heading out now," replied Dayakka's voice.

"In this weather? Whose stupid idea was that? And doesn't _Dai-Gurren_ still need to be patched up?"

"The leg has been taken care of. Simon, Adiane, and Thymilph had a meeting to discuss the invasion plan. One of Adiane's men came in and told us of Teppelin preparing their defenses, including all the way out to the coast. They intercepted radio chatter from beastmen patrols out at sea."

"What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that even though the weather is choppy, we have no choice but to move now. If we move when the monsoon calms down, they'll be too heavily entrenched."

"Nothing we can't handle! I mean, when we fought Thymilph for the second time he was entrenched!"

"In unfamiliar territory and in an environment which didn't suit him at all. This time we'll be fighting on their home turf, and they'll be fighting to protect their homeland. We're up against a new animal here, and all Ganmen pilots are to remain on standby in case we run into any patrols." Kittan gave a sigh.

"Roger that. Am I the first one to know?"

"Yes. Be sure to relay that to the other ganmen pilots. Adiane has already returned to the _Dai-Gankai _to prep her forces for the invasion. The moment we touch the homeland, the battle for Teppelin will begin. Got it?"

"Got it, I'll tell the other bozos ASAP." Kittan turned off the intercom and turned towards his family and the olive-skinned androgyne.

"Well, you heard the guy. Most of us here are Ganmen pilots, so we need to be on standby." His two youngest sisters nodded.

"My apologies brother. I was hoping to learn more from you," said Quantei apologetically. Kirei gave him a smile.

"_It's alright. Besides, I need to focus on the battle at hand so that I can protect everyone. I can't have my old memories interfere. I'll be happy to learn more myself…"_ He turned out towards the surging monsoon, _Dai-Gurren_ heading deeper and deeper into the raging ocean. _"When Teppelin is reclaimed…or fallen."_

"If you insist Goka. But know this," Quantei headed towards the door and stopped in the doorway. "I will need to know what became of you over these last fifty years. It's not just my brotherly instinct compelling me to know, it's my instinct as your uncle as well. You understand yes?" Kirei gave him a nod.

"Very well. I must head to Princess Nia's quarters and relay her of the current situation." The olive-skinned androgyne felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hold on, I'm gonna tell her of the news! You're a shingann pilot, you gotta get ready!"

"You need to tell the other pilots first!" Kirei could have sworn he could see lightning crackling between their eyes.

"That can wait! Besides I promised Nia I'd try her new cooking!"

"Preposterous! I'm going to help test her food, not a plebian like you!"

"I bet I can eat more of her food than you can! Ladies love men that eat their cooking!"

"Care to wager on that?"

"Bring it!" Both men continued their bickering as they ran down the hallway towards Nia's quarters.

"They like her so much," commented Kinon with a smile, amused by Kittan's situation.

"No kidding!" replied Kiyal. "Well, better prep up _Kiyalunga_!" She gave her younger adoptive brother a thumbs up and a fanged smile.

"I got your back bro! Who cares about your past anyways? You got us and wouldn't your guardian think that way too?" That said, she skipped down the hall. Kinon turned towards Kirei as she stood in the doorway.

"That's right Kirei. You shouldn't focus too much on your past. There's an old saying that Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today is a gift. So let us treasure the gift of now, and save the mystery for tomorrow." Kinon left, albeit not as spirited as her sibling.

Only Kirei and Kiyoh remained.

"Well then…vacation's over" Kiyoh said smiling. The boy nodded in reply.

"So...I guess since I'm your audio-link to the other pilots, we should be on standby too." Kiyoh couldn't help but be a _little_ disappointed. She was so close to asking Kirei what he wanted to do, and now they were stuck on standby.

"_Nothing we can't handle together. Besides, I don't think anything will top a gigantic bomb falling on our heads."_

"Agreed." She held out her hand. "Shall we?" Kirei smiled.

"_Lets."_ They headed out the door, hand in hand.

Then something made the shingann pilot stop. He stared out the window towards the shrinking main land. Something had drawn his attention, yet he couldn't place what it was.

"Kirei? Something wrong?" asked Kiyoh, concerned. Kirei shook his head.

"_Probably nothing_." Yet as he left with Kiyoh, hand in hand, something inside told him that he should have stayed there...

As the _Dai-Gurren_ sailed the stormy sea, _Dai-Gankai _underneath the waves, a pair of lights came forth from a cliff edge, and two figures ran out.

"Hey~! Hey hey hey! _Dai-Gurren!_ Hey!" Yelled out one of the figures, tall and slim waving his arms. His companion, short and fat, flickered his lights and honked the horn of his hover-car.

"Come on! Notice us! Hey!" He kept honking, some in large intervals, some in short fast paced. The red warship did not turn, nor head their calls.

"Hey! We have help! Hey!" The slim figure suddenly began coughing. The fat figure came out of the car and ran to the slim one's side.

"Bandsome you'll get a cold in this weather!" Thunder cracked as Handsome hefted his wheezing brother back to the hover-car.

"I don't-" He sneezed. "Care! We were so close! If only we didn't oversleep this morning! Gah!" Bandsome slammed his head on the dashboard in frustration. He snuffled a bit.

"Here." Handsome handed his feline brother a tissue. Bandsome blew out his load.

"Now what?" groaned the slim cat beastman. The fatter brother stared out to sea, seeing the _Dai-Gurren_ fade over the rolling waves and rain.

"We wait for the storm to clear, and then we follow them. Land-and-sea functionality is kind of one of the selling points of having a hover-car."

"True."

The brothers put their seats in recline, sitting back as the rain pelted the car and the roar of the waves slammed against the cliff-side and the thunder boomed. Bandsome turned towards the center compartment that sat between him and his fat brother.

And he placed a hand on it as Handsome placed his hat over his eyes.

"We'll get you to Gokami soon doc...Just be patient for a little while longer...I promise..." And he grabbed some ear muffs and a hat and placed it over his eyes and in his ears and napped with his brother.

Neither of them heard the radio, playing at low volume.

"_My fellow brothers and sisters," _said a gravely voice over the radio. "_Courage. A perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it. That is what I ask of you this day. Courage. Because soon, a rebellion will arrive to our beloved capital of Teppelin, and with them, the most horrid of traitors and most vile of humans will attack our capital in order break our will, our spirit._

_"Well Ladies and gentlemen, I have no intention of giving up so easily to these vermin. Some have said that we should compromise with these rebels, due to their actions of repelling the Imperial Special Operations back several days ago. These people want us to make our war with the humans and traitors safe and easy_.

There was the slight sound of the person speaking taking a drag, probably from a pipe.

"_Every attempt to make war easy and safe will result in humiliation and disaster. That has followed in history before even the rise of the Teppelin Empire, back even before the Dark Times and even before time itself. For I, Guame the Steady, intend to make the humans and the traitors howl and present their heads to our Spiral King on a silver plate with a side of caviar and a glass of the finest wine ever to be sold_." Guame paused, the clicks of what sounded like cameras flicking on and off in the radio.

"Is that guy still rambling?" moaned Handsome.

"Still is."

"Ugh."

"_My aim, then, is to whip the rebels, to humble and shatter their pride, to follow them to their inmost recesses, and make them fear and dread us. And I hear of humans rising above ground, stealing ganmen and raiding settlements and treating our citizens like cattle to be slaughtered or like play things and maybe listening to this broadcast even as I draw breath, well I speak to you. The digger, the shooter, the baker, and family man, the chief, the doctor, the wife, the rapist, the siege-man, the cannoneer, the pilot, the leader, perhaps even the rebels themselves. I speak to you."_

"I can't turn this off, can I?" Handsome was trying to press the off button on the hover-car's radio. It had broken years ago, unfortunately, and the message was being played across all frequencies.

"Do I look like some kind of tech expert? Fuck Teppelin technology, it all breaks anyway. That's why I went into medicine." Bandsome muttered irritably as he shuffled on his seat, leaning away from the radio. His heavier brother did the same.

"_You humans and traitors don't know what you are doing. Besides, where are your men and appliances of war to contend against the likes of us? The Teppelin Empire can make a ganman, a city, or a fortress; hardly a yard of cloth or pair of shoes or a simple digging tool can you make. You can only contend with us, is because you steal from us. You are rushing into war with one of the most powerful, ingeniously mechanical, and determined people on this planet—right at our doors and our fields."_

As the brothers groaned, they could tell that Guame was sneering at the cameras and microphones.

"_You cannot advance. And you will be punished."_

**And there's chapter 27 and the end of the bridging arc! Next chapter we will get more action!**

**Adn sorry for the delay, CMM and Never Alone has been taking up my FF time.**

**And to say nothing Star Wars Old Republic and College football, such great past times!(Although my parents disagree with the former). And my parents want to me to gain a social life.**

**Easier said than done I'm afraid.**

**Moving on, next update I'll probably do either Darkmask or CMM. Probably the former because it's been collecting dust. The Shiki works are on hiatus for the most part, though I'll probably rewrite them in the near future.**

**Beta'ed by 1 over 0 and Juubi-K.**


	28. Battle of Teppelin Day 1 Part 1

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. My OCs belong to me respectively. Jack, Salaco, and Mortaco belong to Toenn Gun.**

**AN: Note that somethings will be changed up due to a rewrite occurring in the earlier chapters. Just to let ya all know.**

_Teppelin Mainland. Day 1 of the Battle of Teppelin._

"Attention all passengers. We are now on route to Watscrik City Airport. We have an inflight movie for your enjoyment. Have a safe flight,"said the automated voice onboard an aerial craft flying away from the capital city.

The passengers in this case, were all beastmen and beastwoman, all of them created for non-combat and worker-bee purposes, such as maintain the water works, the air ventilation, construction, all sorts of civilian purposes.

"Are those humans really gonna strike the Capital?"

"Look down below at all of those encampments. The military is gonna stop them and stop them good!"

"I don't know…Remember they stopped that falling meteor on their own?"

"That meteor was huge! If that had hit we would have been in trouble!"

"I'm hungry…"

"Don't forget about those bastard traitors too!"

"Adiane was so hot…"

Codine Waterthorn glared daggers to the elephant beastmen who said that last comment several rows ahead of her.

But she didn't want to make a scene. Let them say as they wish…

But still…her sister…how _could _she...how could she abandon her… She knew of close she was to Thymilph Synova, but still, she went rogue for his sake over hers?

It was twisted, and Codine has kept to being incognito, forgoing her usualy short red fur-trimmed dress for jeans and a black jacket with a hood. She even donned sunglasses, making the cabin look darker than it already is.

Mugen had came to her, comforted her, in more ways than just emotional and after a couple of sake bottles…

True he didn't understand, he wasn't created with a family, but he still listened to her complaints and pleads and cries and took it all.

That's made Codine fall in love with the dog beastman, that he can listen to anyone's troubles and give them help in any way possible.

True her sister voiced disapproval for their relationship…but her word means nothing now.

Just like how she means nothing to her…

And to make matters worse, Mugen may become the scapegoat for the entire Kingdom to blame for it's failures due to the ISO being constantly defeated and their funds being torched by the damned Dai-Gurren Brigade.

He wanted her to leave to get to safety, but she wanted to stay, but no one would allow her to work in the factory or military districts. She just couldn't handle the jobs there.

Not unlike her sister…or like her fiancé…And she was going to lose them both, one to kingdom she was raised to adore, the other to some bumbling treasonous ape.

It was twisted…so fucking twisted…

She felt a vibration inside her jacket pocket and reached down and flipped her cell phone. Could it be one of her female friends on different aircrafts towards Falgnel and Anno Archipelago?

"It can't be…" She whispered. The snoring pig beastmen sitting next to her didn't budge, and the goat beastman near the window was too absorbed in a magazine.

She saw the sender of the text…opened it…

"_**Hey baby, sorry to scare ya. Be safe in Watscrik, staying behind to help defend Teppelin.**_

_**I will live for you. Don't doubt that."**_

Codine laughed with joy, gaining the attention of several passengers, but she didn't care as she began to weep tears of joy, her hand clamped over her mouth. The passengers next to her turned towards her, the swine beastmen waking up.

"What's got you happy? Win the cyber lottery just now?" Asked the goat beastman, a little irritated but curious to see why the Snake-Scorpion seems jovial in this rather sullen atmosphere.

Codine whipped the tears away from her face, taking away her glasses.

"No…better…"

_Teppelin outskirts. Impregnable Fortress Ganmen Dai-Gando_

Guame sat within his command center within the Impregnable Fortress Ganmen _Dai-Gando_. The _Dai-Gando_ sat square in the flat low lying steppes of the Heartland. In front of him was a map displaying the entirety of the mainland, a rather large island with Teppelin at the center. He was in the eastern part of the heartland, and he could see the icon signifying the Aerial Carrier Fortress Ganman _Dai-Ganten_ above the Ranbeme Mountain range, a perfect natural barrier that protected the heartland in the shape of a horse-shoe. To the south at the opening of the horse-shoe, was the Xelhi Delta and Deputy General Ursali's reserve division along with Guame's Third and Seventh Divisions digging in should the Dai-Gurren Brigade approach from the south. And right on top of the Teppelin icon was Deputy General Viral's division along with the Teppelin Defense Force headed by Mugen Kanus.

To be fair, Guame didn't like the idea of letting the humans anywhere near the capital, but Mugen had predicted that one way or another, they will reach the capital, so the objective of their divisions was essential, play chicken back to the capital and whittle away the enemy's strength.

It was against what Guame believed was the standards upholding to warfare, to fight and demolish your enemy on the field of battle. However, Mugen, at the advice of Cytomander, added in that the potential eastern landing zone, the projected site of where the rebels would make landfall on the mainland, a death field and that the Generals had leeway in how to handle the rebels, as long as they whittle them down to the capital for the finishing blow.

If it wasn't for Mugen's massive screw-up in ISO and not retrieving the Fifth Survivor, Guame would have happily even treated the dog beastmen to some of his Beauty Village women and shared a drink, but all he could do was grudgingly admit that it _is_ a sound plan.

For now that is…

"General, our drones have spotted the_ Dai-Ganzan_! It seems to be leaving from a storm area far east," said one of anteater beastmen managing _Dai-Gando's_ bridge. Guame shifted his sitting position away from the holographic map and onto a visual display. There he could see the _Dai-Ganzan_ approaching along the waves. He growled, if he was nearby he would have an IFF scan to see if Adiane's flagship was present.

"Use thermal vision, see if the _Dai-Gankai_ is under the waves." The _Dai-Ganzan_, using a giant paddle of somekind, was approaching the coast, but slowly. If he had to guess, the monsoon must have slowed them down already. The armadillo allowed himself a small smile. How fitting that the elements aid them. They _are_ the superior and blessed race after all.

"Scanning…" there was a pause. And Guame pressed on a button.

"This all forces in Sector E5, commence fall back into the Ranbeme mountains. Dig in and…" His smile grew. "Take in the fireworks…"

_Dai-Gurren, nearing Teppelin coast._

"Okay you all! This is it!" Cheered on Kittan within his _King Kittan_. Behind him he could hear the rustle and bustle of his fellow pilots within their Ganmen.

_Dai-Gurren'_s decision to leave early was a rushed decision, but it also had some conseqences. It slowed them down with the rough and choppy weather. In addition, Adiane's unique tactic left them blindsided too.

"Once we hit those cliffs! It's up to us to give Simon and Kirei time to dig through the cliffs! I bet you they have all sorts of guns up there so it's our duty to make a suitable landing area!" Yelled out Kittan.

"Yeah!" Said the pilots in unision. Ahead of them on _Dai-Gurren_'s prow, the _Gurren Lagann_ and I_llustrious Kazenami_ stood side by side.

"You ready Kirei? Kiyoh" Asked Simon from within_ Lagann_'s cockpit. The black shingann turned it's head and nodded.

"_Ready when you are,"_ said both Kiyoh and Kirei, audibly and mentally.

"Yoko?" Simon indicated towards his co-pilot. He saw Yoko's face appear on the screen to his left, Boota nestled quite nicely in between her cleavage.

"Born ready." Simon nodded as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, relaxing his body, and the memory of Kamina came to his mind's eye. He reached up and pulled down the goggles over his eyes, and reopened his eyes with a vigor.

"_Dai-Gurren_ throw!"

"On it!" Replied Jack from the bridge, as the _Dai-Gurren_'s arms reached down towards the Ganmen on the deck, starting with the _Sozoshin _and_ King Kittan_. And with a whirl of the arms, the two Ganmen spun in mid-air and met contact with the ground, landing feet first and coming to skid.

The _King Kittan_ brought it's spear and lance from the _Kiyalunga_ to bear.

"Alright you bastards who wants-" He stopped and he took in the environment around him.

Nothing. Nothing but an elevated grass land some mountains to the west, Teppelin rising high above it in the distance. There was no soul for miles…

"Huh?" Was all Kittan could say.

"Where is everybody?" Wondered Zorthy. He felt two more impacts next to him and the_ Kidd Knuckle_ came out guns blazing.

"Alright! Eat this! Eat that! Take this all of ya-huh?"

"Umm…is this supposed to happen? I thought beach assaults were supposed to be more…_loud_, and populous with the enemies who hate us would be nice too," pointed out Ailak in the _Ainzaur._ Kittan placed in some commands and got Jack on screen.

"Hey Jack! We got a problem!"

"What?" Asked the dog beastman.

"There's nothing here!" And there was the large sound of the earth being torn apart. Simon and Kirei have begun drilling into the cliff.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing! No Imperial grunts, no Defense Force guys! Nobody! Just grasslands!"

"Well that's unexpected…" Muttered Jack. Kittan got in contact with Simon.

"Hey Simon we have no-shows! No beastman for miles around up here!" Simon looked a bit surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah. What do you want us to do? It seems safe for now."

"Well…Go scout up ahead. For all we know they maybe late for greeting us. Have one go on ahead for recon and the rest of you stay here for defense. I know it will be boring but this bedrock is tough and thick. Me and Kirei need to conserve our Fighting Spirit incase any of the enemy forces show up."

"Roger that". The King Kittan turned toward the other 3 Ganmen pilots.

"Orders?" Asked Ailak.

"We just sit tight and protect them drilling. One of us has to scout ahead for any beastmen though. They maybe late to the party."

Ailak appeared on the blonde Bachika's screen. "My _Ainzaur_ has the best mobility of us all right now." Two more impacts and the _Moshugun_ and _Twin Bokkun_ joined the slowly increasing group. "I'll leave the defense to you all."

"You don't want me to come with ya Ailak?" Asked Kidd, his blue haired brother gave him a grin.

"Don't worry." The Ainzaur took off with a run towards the mountains. "I'll be just fine that I'll be back in time for din-"

There was a mighty explosion where the Ainzaur once stood, deafening all of the pilots. Kittan shook his head, despite his ears ringing.

"Ailak~!" Yelled Kidd, the _Kidd Knuckle_ running to where the_ Ainzaur_ once was.

"What the hell was that! Artillery?" Yelled Zorthy.

"But there was no cannon fire!" Retorted Kittan.

"That as loud!" "Super loud!" Said Jorgun and Balinbow.

"No artillery ordinance can reach this far, the mountains are good hours run away from here," responded Makken calmly. "We would have to be dealing with a Divine General flagship in terms of firepower."

"So then what that means-" Kittan was interrupted by a loud crash. He turned his head and he saw something ontop of the _Kidd Knuckle_.

It was the_ Ainzaur_, blackened and trashed, it's legs blown and twisted off. Kidd immediately hopped out of his ganmen and ran to his brother's ganmen.

"Ailak! Ailak! You okay! Say something! Ailak!" He tried to pry the cockpit door open but to no avail. Kittan had his ganmen run over to the stricken brother.

"Stand aside bozo I'll get him out." Kidd complied albeit reluctantly. The _King Kittan'_s hand went towards the repitalian mouth of the green ganmen and opened the cockpit. Kidd made not time hopping side.

"Ailak! Speak to me! Bro! Come on! Wake up!" As this happened , Makken went over towards the _Ainzaur_ and ripped off one it's ruined legs.

"Makken!" Kittan was about to reprimand him until the calm bald man appeared on his screen.

"Let me check something out first. Besides he won't be needing this anytime soon." The _Moshogun_ scanned the surrounding grassy area, took the ruined leg and chucked it hard.

The moment it landed hard several hundred yards away it vanished in a violent explosion.

"Mines," was all the _Moshogun_ pilot could say. Kittan understood and immediately dialed in for Jack and Simon.

"Ailak! Speak to me!" Cried out Kidd's voice, Kittan bite his lip as he got the digger and the black lab beastman on screen.

"Hey guys we got a problem."

"What's going on!" Yelled out Simon. The loud drilling must have deafened him a little.

"Turns out the Beastmen _were_ here, and they left us some gifts…" Kittan turned his head towards the _Ainzaur_, seeing Kidd carry out a bleeding and unmoving Ailak.

"I need a medic! Now! Anyone!" Yelled Kidd. The Twins immediately picked up the duo.

"We'll take you back to ship!" "Ya we will save you Ailak!" "Save Ailak!"

"Hang in there Ailak! Just don't close your eyes! Ailak! Ailak!" Kittan closed his eyes as the _Twin Bokkun_ sprinted towards the cliff and towards the_ Dai-Gurren_ in the water.

"And Ailak is hurt…bad."

"We'll get medics to look after him immediately, so there's a mine field in front of us?" Asked Jack. Simon was silent, his head turned to see the Twin Bokkun carrying a bloody mass to incoming doctors and he gasped. The blonde Bachika nodded.

"We're gonna be here a while…"

_Xelhi Delta, Teppelin coast_

Deputy Commander Adiane Waterthorn sat in her throne aboard her command center, her head leaned against her fist in boredom. The _Dai-Gankai_ has emerged from the depth of the ocean and has begun stream lining towards the mouth of the Siduta River.

To her left was Quantei Niju, pilot of the _Serene Suinami_ and former Royal Knight of the Teppelin Empire, arms crossed and looking out the viewport of the massive centipede-like fortress ganmen with disinterest.

To her right was Thymilph Synova, former General of the Easteren Extermination Battalion and fellow Deputy Commander. He was leaning on his hammer.

"I gotta admit, Xelhi looks real nice, especially in the summer," said Thymilph, looking out of the viewport, a smile grin on his visage. "My cousin Kandi stopped by here once if I recall. She enjoyed it quite a bit."

The Xelhi Delta was indeed quite a sight. In contrast to Thymilph's desert wasteland environment to the east, the Xelhi Delta was fertile and filled with trees and unique wild life. There many streams that fed into the Teppelin mainland and it is it's largest natural water source.

"We are not here on vacation Deputy Commander," snipped Quantei, still hands behind his back.

"Yes I suppose you're right. No need to be so stern like that Quantei," joked the gorilla. "Are you still fuming over losing that rock-paper-scissors with Kittan?" The androgynous shingann pilot fumed.

"N-No! I mean, myself, Simon and Gokami pilot the only aerial machines in the Dai-Gurren Brigade! We needed our forces to be even so I-I willing went along! That's all!" Said outloud the dark skinned Nucleotype. Thymilph rolled his eyes.

"Sure, and all that yelling of whose staying with Nia was nothing at all too." Before the pilot of the _Serene_ could retort, Thymilph placed a large hand on his shoulder. "But, either way I am glad you came along. We needed someone to work with in order to take out any of Cytomander's forces. Knowing him, he'll definitely take part in harassing us. It's only a matter of when."

"Do you think he'll defend the delta sir? We are in territory where it suits us best." Pointed out an otter beastman sitting at the controls.

"For Cytomander, the sky _is_ his territory, and the sky is everywhere. He will come," grumbled the gorilla as he once again lumbered towards Adiane's side.

"How goes the recon teams?" Asked Adiane, speaking for the first time.

"No marinal contacts yet Commander. And nothing on sonar or visual as of yet," responded a roundtound walrus beastwoman. Adiane nodded.

"I see then," her red eye narrowed into the viewport and into the delta. The _Dai-Gankai_ has entered the delta and saw the swells of the water level when the massive warship entered the Siduta.

It was quiet.

_Too_ quiet for the Snake-Scorpion's tastes.

"I want all hands to be ready for battle stations. Have the pilots prepare for combat." She ordered. This caused some of the command center's occupants to turn their heads at their leader.

"But Commander Adiane there is no sigh of enemy forces, not even on radar."

"Switch the thermal." This cause some muttering amongst the bridge.

"It is still daylight Adiane. Thermal would be jocked up everywhere," mentioned Thymilph.

"Do it." Sniped the bluenette beastwoman. "Quantei, get to the _Serene_ and prepare for launch on my orders."

"Yes ma'am." Replied Quantei as he turned away and walked out of the bridge.

"Swithing to thermal…" Said a squid beastman, his speaking muffled by his legs and beak, sitting a the radar station. The normal green radar switched to black and white, black being cold and white being hot.

There was a lot of white.

But he saw moving black.

"Contacths confirmed!" He yelled, but it was muffled. All of the rooms occupants turned towards him and Thymilph lifted up some of his legs, revealing his beak.

"Come again Lieutenant Ward?" The squid audibly sighed.

"Contacts confirmed! Starboard side!" He yelled. Adiane snapped at attention.

"How many?" She asked. The squid moved one eye over the screen, he squinted as he counted.

"Sixteen ma'am! Scanning on the IFF…" Thymilph still had his hands holding up his tentacles and shifting them around to help the poor Squid speak.

Some of the other bridge beastman couldn't help but stare.

"Awkward…" Whispered the otter beastman to the Walrus beastwoman, who couldn't help but cover her tusk-filled face in sniggers. Only when they felt the barrowing glare of Adiane and her raised tail did they snap back to their stations.

"Confirmed on IFF! _Ganzar_-" He was cut off from firing and the ship shaking.

The Battle of Teppelin has begun.

Thymilph dropped Ward's legs and smooshed his face against the glass to get a better look. True enough, behind the trees were several armed _Grunt_-class Ganmen, mostly devil heads, and the majority of them were both _Ganzar Heavy Types_ and _Ganzar Artillery Types_. However, what made them unique was their plating, which was all black and oblongly shaped.

Adiane bit her lip. The design of those hulls on those ganmen were made specifically for Stealth jets to avoid radar. Thankfully, Thermal managed to pin point them out, as well as Ward's eye sight.

The _Grunts_, outfitted with rifles, gatling guns, and gauss cannons, fired. The _Ganzars_ as well, the A-Type's nose-like artillery cannons and the H-Type's gatling guns blazing purple.

"We're under attack! All hands battle stations! Launch all Ganmen squads!" Barked Adiane as she stood up. "Thymilph, you and Mortaco will defend the _Dai_-_Gankai_!"

"You got it," replied the gorilla beastman as he ran out of the command center. She typed in some keys on her throne. A moment later Quantei's face appeared.

"Quantei."

"Yes Deputy Commander? I'm heading out now." True to his word, the _Serene Suinami_ flying out of the Dai-Gankai's hanger, the few well armed Grunts trotted along the the deck of the Dai-Gankai along with the _Byakou_. Adiane also noticed Mortaco's ganmen, the _Ungoroth_, was much more well armed, this time with several missile pods on the legs, and on the left arm was a gatling gun, and the right a gauss cannon.

"God I gotta thank Leeron for those upgrades! I look like a king with these puppies! But I'm a girl so that would make me a queen but that's all moot now ain't it!" The _Ungoroth_ ran up to the side of the _Dai-Gankai_ and aimed towards the black plated ganmen squad. "Eat lead jack-offs!"

And the missile pods cut loose, as she fired the gatling gun towards the patch of foliage where the black plated ganmen were firing at, blue bursts appearing from the gatling gun.

They were shredded instantly. Their black stealth armor offering nothing in protection. And great balls of fire were her reward.

"Eat that you-" A purple explosion hit her in the back. "Gah!"

And a rain of the purple gunfire hailed from the foliage on the port side. And another at two-o-clock, another at ten-o-clock, another starboard squad. Behind the ship, in front of the ship.

"Good god they're everywhere! Where did they come from!" Yelled out the otter beastman.

"How come thermal or radar didn't pick them out!" Barked Adiane.

"They wereth underthgroudth!" Muffled Ward. Adiane rolled her eyes and Ward tried to lift up his tentacles with his own, but due to them being slippery, just fell through. He tried again and again but like a bar of soap or like an eel they continued to slip and fall down. The Snake-Scorpion gave an audible sigh of frustration as she stood up, walked over, and lifted up his tentacles.

"They were underground!" He replied. Adiane nodded and sat back in her chair.

"Reilee, prep missile pods four through ten to land at each of the landing spots. And-"

"Commander!" Ward said again. This time he jumped out of his chair and landed where his beak would be pointing upward where he would be audible.

"Radar confirms aerial targets! Two squadrons of _Falgan_-class fighters and four _Auwl_-class bomber squadrons! Approaching from the north, two thousand meters above sea level and ETA seven-hundred seconds!" Adiane turned towards her communicator.

"Quantei! We got air Ganmen on the way! If those bombers are outfitted with anti-warship ordinance we're stuck, even if we use the Hydroconverters! Intercept them!"

"Understood!" And the a green blaze flew out of the _Dai-Gankai'_s port side hangar bay, the _Serene Suinami_ flying into combat.

"Thymilph! The ground forces are your priorty! Wipe them all out!"

"With pleasure!" The _Byakou_ aimed his lance at one of firing squads from the shore, port side. "Condemn Blaze!" The lance fired a white-blue stream of destruction, tearing the Ganzar squads over several hundred meters away into smithereens at one point. Inside the _Byakou_, Thymilph growled.

"If only I had _Dai-Ganzan_ I would have it's arms to throw me at them!" He side stepped another artillery shell and fired another burst from the lance, goring a Bull _Grunt_ and it's explosion resulting in taking down a _Ganzar A-Type_ at the ten-o-clock location.

"Missile tubes four through ten loaded! Targets locked!" Yelled the otter beastman, named Reilee. Adiane scowled further.

She will not die here. Not as long as Thymilph or Codine live in this world, she will not die.

"Fire!"

The missile bays behind the_ Dai-Gankai'_s gray command center opened up, and long missiles streaked out and lanced into the sky…

And then the bottom fuelselage broke apart, and the top edge of the missile broke up, revealing another thruster…

And they streaked towards the earth, hitting the _Ganzar_ squadrons like thunder and turning them into flaming slag.

"Kills confirmed! We have detected more Imperial Ganmen up the channel. Ma'am they are…" Paused Ward, speaking clearly now.

"What is it Ward?"

"They seem to be falling back Commander and-"

"I don't care right now! Damage report!" Snapped Adiane.

"Starboard Hanger has taken some damage and there are fires. The left claw has taken some damage and some armor on the starboard side have taken some damage but they are holding." Adiane nodded at the walrus beastwoman's analysis.

"Casualities?"

"We lost two ganmen, confirmed KIAs. _Ungoroth_ has taken minor damage to the back." That said, Mortaco appeared on screen.

"Just a scratch. There's nothing me and ole Ungo can't do!" Said Mortaco with a peppy smile as she took a swig from a canteen. The Snake-Scorpion knew that wasn't water…

"Duly noted. What of the aerial forces Ward?" the Squid tried to reposition himself yet again to speak clearly, this time lying on his side.

"Squadrons should arrive here in under five hundred seconds. Quantei is due to engage in less than twenty…" Adiane narrowed her eyes in thought. She didn't doubt the Royal Knight's ability, but there could be some ganmen that evade him…

"Prepare anti-air ordinace. Prepare AA Missile Batteries ten through forty. Have them fire on my mark." She turned her attention towards Thymilph, who was also on the screen next to Mortaco.

"Thymilph, I want you and the rest of the ganmen to return inside the hangars. Should we encounter any more enemy forces I will activate the Hydroconverters and send out the Shura Marines." The Gorilla beastman grinned.

"The Shura Marines. I've always wanted to see them in action. I heard they were your best fighters and can take out ganmen by themselves. That true?" Adiane finally gave him the first smirk of the day.

"You have no idea…"

_Skies over Xelhi Delta_

The _Serene Suinami_ was like a green dart as it sped north, Quantei gripping his controls and his face set in stone. A small screen popped up in front of him and he saw numerous _Falgans_ and _Auwls_, the latter carrying heavy ordinance bombs.

He recognized the design, depth charges.

'_So even if Adiane gets the Hydro-converters prepped,_ Dai-Gankai_ will still get destroyed,'_ thought the former knight. He pushed his control grips forward, and the _Serene_ blasted towards impending aerial Ganmen.

His answer was a flurry of missiles from the _Falgans_, who sped towards him. Reaching from behind his back, the _Serene_ acquired a small rod that had a spike on one end and a box with a spike on each face on the other. Then the rod extended, the _Serene_ bringing it's pike-club/lance hybrid to bear.

"Bring it!" He yelled as he darted into the _Falgans_, darting in and out around the _Serene_. One _Falgan_ transformed behind the _Serene_, revealing a long-armed green Ganmen with fiendish red-yellow eyes. It brought it's fists together to strike the shingann. Quantei turned his head behind, his red eyes blazing.

"I don't think so..." He muttered darkly. Swinging his lance, the spiked-box slammed into the _Falgan_, causing machinery and even an eye to burst out and stagger. Quantei held out his left hand and a sleek drill tendril from his palm appeared and pierced the _Falgan_ right between the eyes. The aerial ganmen's detonation was his reward.

Quantei turned his head and saw two more _Falgans_ in aerial mode streaking in, purple machine gun fire blazing. The _Serene_ gave a burst of green and using it's lance, used to to slash one and swinging down to crush the other, the sliced one exploded and the mutilated one fell towards earth.

The dark-skinned androgyn saw the ganmen soar past him, the three _Falgans_ serving their purpose. He growled.

"I won't let you!" His Spiral Meter spun light green and he sped towards the squadron. Four more _Falgans_ darted towards him in formation, guns and missiles blazing. Quantei didn't bother dodging. His armor got chipped and damaged but with a flash of green the armor was renewed, the slight prinpicks of pain dotting his skin and vanishing as fast as they came. The same could not have been said for his lance, as it broke in half from a missile strike, smoke clouding the shingann's visuals.

That was all the _Falgans_ needed, as they transformed to Ganmen mode and circled the shingann, still paralyzed from the missile strike and fired their cables. Quantei felt annoyed, his Resonance ratio having him feel like he was the one being binded.

Although he had to admit…there was something good about all this bondage…

"Let go!" Yelled Quantei, but the _Falgans_ followed in tandem to his jerky movements to not put strain on the cables. Quantei's eyes darted towards the fleet. They were gaining distance.

And his Spiral Meter gauge spun white. With a yell, the _Serene_ broke free of the cable, courtesy of small drills around it's arms. The shingann brought both arms up and drill tendrils popped out, goring a _Falgan_ each on the right and left of the Serene.

And with a slash, the whip-drills hacked into the other two _Falgans_ up front and behind Quantei.

He turned his head towards the fleet and he blazed a trail of green to intercept. Another quartet of _Falgans_ appeared, their machine cannons and missiles blazing.

Quantei narrowed his eyes and barred his teeth, and his Hyper-Brain Waves kicked in.

He darted left, right, above, below, jerked left, up, right, batted a missile with the _Serene's_ hand earning Quantei a bruise on his right hand, right again, kicked one away and Quantei felt his big toe throb as if hitting a wall, left, down, up. Dodging each missile and explosion with each movement. He brought his fist back and he tore through a the center-right _Falgan_, and darted towards the fleet.

He staggered and jerked in his cockpit, and more cables wrapped around the shingann. Quantei growled. The cables may have felt good, but he had more important issues.

Like living to upstage that plebian mongrel Kittan and being by his beloved Princess Nia's side.

"You want to die a painful death!" His Spiral Meter glowed white. "_Mongrels_!"

And a drill tendril for each _Falgan_ behind the _Serene's_ back. And three more explosions.

Quantei turned his head towards the fleet began to fly towards them. A small window popped up on his screen. It was Thymilph.

"I'm busy at the moment!" He dodged another missile from a stray _Falgan_ who darted in.

"I bet you are," responded the gorilla on the _Dai-Gankai_. Quantei grabbed the sweeping _Falgan_ and with a jerk of his controls, teared the ganmen in two. "But keep up the pressure. Our AA ordinance is almost primed." The Nucleotype's eyes rose.

"But I'm here too!"

"Not unless you freefall back down to the ground at breakneck speed. Besides, once we take care of the aerial forces," Another window popped up on Quantei's cockpit, revealing _Ganzar As_ and _Ganzar Hs_ on hover barges and retreating further inland, but unlike the forces at the mouth of the delta, they were properly armored and armed with long range weaponry. He even saw missile pods blazing from the Grunts, along with bazooka and the occasional sniper rifle.

"We need you to keep them occupied for the _Dai-Gankai_ to prep the Hydroconverters. But for now, corral the aerial forces and thin them out. Then on my signal, ditch them faster than the hot potato and give the ground forces something to cry about." Quantei conjured another drill tendril and gored a Falgan, then swung, using the struggling ganmen into one of it's fellows. He noticed several Auwl bombers turn their heads, their red eyes widening in surprise and fear.

And in that instance the _Falgan_ and _Auwl_ ganmen got the message and began to blaze their levispheres southward as if they needed to yesterday. Quantei couldn't keep a smirk from forming, a small tint of blood lust forming within him.

He must admit, although Nia does frown on this behavior, those beastmen would be meeting a fiery end eventually, whether by missile or destroyed machinery. Or bloody by his hand.

He hated to admit it, but the feeling to dominate others on the battlefield in this manner, and to do so for a rightoues cause his Princess is fighting for.

It was_ fun._

"Running away so soon?" the _Serene's_ hands became riveted with drills.

"_Mongrels_!" And he soared after them.

_Xelhi Delta_

"Hydroconverters at seventy-five percent!"

"Turrets Twelve, Thirteen, and Nineteen are damaged!"

"Enemy forces are contiueing retreat north!"

Adiane kept her one good eye out to the viewport, knowing that those _Ganzar A'_s and _Ganzar H'_s thought ahead in using high-speed hover barges, unloading everything they have at the _Dai-Gankai_. Her other eye darted towards a meter…

77…78…79…

"Eighty Percent! We're almost-" A shot rattled the gray command center on the _Dai-Gankai_. A quartet of hover barges on the port side roared a several thousand meters away. The yellow and brown _Ganzar A_'s Nose cannons blasting hard ad infintum.

"Steady!" Barked Adiane. The _Dai-Gankai_ still treaded north on the Siduta, and up above them and far away, several explosions could be seen. Quantei was doing his handiwork.

"How much longer until they are in our kill zone Josef?" Asked the Snake-Scorpion. The otter beastman, Josef turned.

"Ten seconds!" Replied Josef.

"Nine! Eight! Seven! Six!"

"Prep Anti-Air missile tubes ten through forty! Open missile bays!" On her cue, the missile bays on the gray-abdomen that is the command center of the _Dai-Gankai_ opened up, under half of them opened up. The _Dai-Gankai_'s anti-personell turrets on both port and starboard sides were having a hard day at work trying to intercept any artillery shells or missiles, some of them being destroyed.

"Confirmed hit on starboard! Fires in Turret Bay Four!"

"Five! Four! Three!"

"Eighty-five percent!"

"Two! One!"

Adiane barked, her throat becoming sore.

"Fire!" And Josef slammed the a button on his console. And the missiles behind the _Dai-Gankai_ streaked north, a massive stream of smoke trailblazing behind the warheads.

"Ninety-two percent! Ninety-three! Ninety-four!"

"Fires in Turret Bay Nine! Confirmed casualities!" Yelled the walrus Beastwoman Reilee.

"Ninety-five! Ninety-six! Ninety-seven!"

A window appeared on the main screen, revealing a scarred and eyepatch-wearing Great white shark beastmen, a cigar planted on his lips.

"Commander! Send us out now!"

"You'll go on my order Sergeant Jula!"

"Ninety-eight! Ninety-nine!" A button appeared on Adiane's throne.

"One-hundred percent! Hydroconverters primed and ready!" Yelled Reilee. Adiane slammed down on the button and the ship began to blare it's alarms. She gave Jula a smirk.

"Have fun Sergeant," the Great White Shark gave her a smirk and bloodthirsty as hers and saluted. The screen blinked out.

And then, up north ahead of them, a green streak fell to earth. A only several moments later, the sky lit up yellow and orange, as the entire aerial contingement met with Kingdom Come, their welcoming consisting of fire and metal and death. The skyline was brightened yellow with circular explosions, and at the same time, along the _Dai-Gankai'_s side, several spheres appeared, blue and white in colored.

They glowed bright yellow, and then as if it was a miracle from the divine, water began to be conjured out of it, at first in streams, then in torrents, then as if a flood broke lose.

The _Dai-Gankai_ began approaching the land on the port side, the water flowing incredibly as if the Siduta River was moving with it. The water began to rise, one meter, three meters, ten meters, thirty meters, fifty meters, and finally a hundred meters.

Only the _Dai-Gankai_'s Command center could be spotted above the water.

The Hydroconverter. A device with the ability to transmute air molecules into hydrogen molecules. In other words, they fuse elements together.

And two hydrogen atoms with one oxygen atom make water.

It defied physics, and technically, while it is not fusion that occurs in suns. It is fusion nonetheless.

And a marvelous fusion indeed, as Adiane began to smirk as the _Dai-Gankai'_s demon-like face began to open, it's sharp teeth revealing another hangar bay.

But small dark figures raced out of the mouth, and they are much more dangerous than the smiling Submarine Fortress Ganmen's teeth.

_Xelhi Delta_

Quantei regained control of the _Serene Suinami_ and began to take in his surroundings, breathing hard as he calmed himself down.

He saw the missiles fire from the _Dai-Gankai_, and he took that opportunity to get the hell out of dodge, just flying straight down. And everywhere around him was falling debris and slag.

To his right he could see the _Dai-Gankai_ walking out of the water, as if taking the river with it and heading towards the fleeing caravan of hover barges, still blazing purple at the water and the hover barges speeding even faster away from the incoming flood. He looked to the left and still saw more purple fire at the _Dai-Gankai_ on the other side of the Siduta.

Another window popped up on his screen. It was Adiane.

"Quantei, the ground forces on the eastern side are annoying. Take care of it," said the Snake-Scorpion. Her voice becoming a bit hoarse. Quantei nodded.

"Understood." She blinked out and he sped towards the eastern shore of the Siduta.

And the_ Ganzar As_ and _Ganzar H_s noticed him, and he saw a flurry of machine and artillery fire erupt all around him.

"Bring it!" he yelled as he crashed into the earth at breakneck speed, breaking the sound barrier and digging into the earth with his drill. His resulting dive made the earth erupt, sending _Ganzar As _and_ Ganzar Hs_, along with many _Grunts_ up in the air.

As he dug through, the dark-skinned androgyn turned the shingann to drill through the earth and erupt again underneath the feet of another squad of _Ganzars_.

As he flew out of the earth, he landed with a crash, and sized up his enemies.

There was still over several dozen _Ganzars_, and plenty of _Grunts_ of all types. Frog, Devil, Bull, he didn't care.

And they were froze, over a hundred versus one.

Until one yellow _Grunt_, a Frowning face _Grunt_ charged, club swinging.

"TITNUGGETS!" Yelled the Grunt, driven by fear and fervor just happened to say a word like that.

Quantei dodged the Grunt with a side-step, grabbed it's club, and with a flash of green later…

The yellow _Grunt_ gets demolished by a massive three-story club, riddled with spikes, nails, and spheres.

The _Ganzars_ fired and the _Grunts_ charged. Quantei sighed and grabbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

"You know what I hate right now? Like right this moment?" He said to no one in particular. A measly mouse beastman crawled out of the wreckage of the yellow _Grunt_.

"What?"

Quantei reopened his eyes, his Hyper Brain-Waves kicking in and his Resonance Ratio having him pick up the darts of pain from the Ganzar fire. His eyes glowed green with Spiral Power and fury.

"_EVERYTHING_!" And he charged yelling.

_Xelhi Delta. Siduta East Bank._

There was was phenomenon occuring. A great collective of water being created and released by the Submarine Fortress Ganman _Dai-Gankai._

And the Teppelin Western Reserves along with a splinter of Northern Army are now under water. Their Ganmen and hoverbarges sinking under the waves and current.

"God damn! What's happening!" Yelled out a baboon Beastman inside a _Ganzar A_. A window popped on his screen on his right, revealing a seal beastman.

"It's the_ Dai-Gankai_! Get to the surface or swim as far away as you can from that fortress! If I heard right then-" There was several thumps on the baboon's _Ganzar A_, and he looked around puzzled, but his eyes widened as he saw several linear figures swim away.

And the seal beastman saw the _Ganzar A_ explode. Panic broke out like a shattered dam.

"What the hell!"

"I thought the _Dai-Gankai_ didn't have artillery!"

Over the feared chatter, several more explosion happened, and the seal beastman gaped.

"Oh no..." He saw a dark shape speeding towards his Frog-faced Grunt. Knowing that he can swim, he opened the cockpit and dove out through the oncoming torrents of water.

His world erupted in pain as he felt his arm being ripped off after being bumped hard, he screamed as blood poured out and air bubbles escaped the seal's mouth. He turned his bloodshot eyes...

And saw his arm in the mouth of a Mako Shark beastwoman. She looked human, with natural curves underneath some skin tight undergarments, save for the webbed feet and hands, and a navy blue skin. Not to mention sharp like teeth, which his arm was now in.

She took out his arm and grinned.

"Bad move." She oiled.

The last thing the seal knew was more erupting pain, and more sharp teeth from other Shark-like beastmen, tearing him into a bloody mess.

And it was anarchy under the water. Dolphin beastmen and beastwoman darted carrying C4s and other explosive devices, planting them onto the flailing ganmen. The Shark beastmen and beastwomen breaking into cockpits and ripping their opposition limb from limb. More dolphins, along with Baracuda and Pike Beastmen and Beastwomen, carried torpedos that gored and erupted on the heavier Ganman and enemies alike.

A Devil-head _Grunt_ tried to swat his foes, but the dolphins proved to nimble and latched on sticky grenades as they passed by. The _Grunt_ vanished in a fireball soon after.

A wrecked _Ganzar H_'s cockpit opened, and a badger beastman tried to swim upwards. But one speeding Mako shark ripped off his legs with a pass, then a Tiger shark his left arm, and finally a scarred Great White rushed in and dealed the Coup De Grace with him biting the head off and spitting out. They swam together in formation.

"Crikey! You ate his legs! Good show!" Compliemented the Tiger Shark, wearing what seemed to be a fishing hat and some glasses. He spoke in an odd accent.

"Yea but I think I ate something else..." Gagged the Mako, he also spoke with a more nasally accent. And he coughed and threw up..._something..._

"You bit off...you bit off his...his!" The Tiger shark couldn't contain his laughter as the Mako looked on in horror. The Great White burst out laughing as well, his laughter deep and boisterous.

"Ewww! Yuck! I aimed for the legs! I didn't mean to...to...HIS DICK!" Yelled the Mako. He was patted near his dorsal fin by the Great White, Sergeant Jula.

"Oh don't fret about it. I ate several penises in my career. Mostly human but still, they taste like chicken." The Tiger and Jula continued to laugh as the Mako ignored them, muttering curses on how he will "aim for the lower legs" next time.

Another hoverbarge broke to the surface, but down below, several Barracuda and dolphin beastmen, carrying torpedos near their dorsal fins, fired and struck the underbelly of the craft. It vanishes in a black and red fireball.

The only esteemed and established Marine Corps of the Teppelin Empire, known for their cold efficiency, fast and swift tactics, and bloodthirst unknown to beast or human-kind alike. Named after the first Western Naval Admiral Don Bruce, a Shark-Dolphin hybrid beastman who called himself the "Asura of the Abysmal Deeps", but as he grew old he would have trouble with "sh" sounds and preferred nicknames.

And he named his fabled fighting unit: The Shura Marines.

_Xelhi Delta West Bank._

Quantei breathed in and out, calming himself. He did admit, he went overboard, more than he should have back there. But he was frustrated.

Whenever he saw a _Grunt_ of any kind leaping towards him, he pictured Kittan being fed cake by Nia.

Whenever he dodged through cannon fire from _Ganzar As _and_ Ganzar Hs_ alike, he pictured Nia sleeping kindly on that plebian's lap.

Whenever he had the _Serene's_ hands reaching out towards a _Grunt_, he saw them...wiggling their noses with each other and giggling.

_Their noses..._

In other words, he should have been by her side. Not he. But Simon and the Deputy Commanders opted their feud on who gets to be by the princess' side through Rock-Paper-Scissors.

If only that accursed game wetn for best of three...And he'll never select rock again.

As he reopened his eyes, he saw ruined and torn apart _Grunts _and_ Ganzars_ everywhere. He leaned his head back and took a deep breath.

"I have to control myself next time," he muttered, ashamed of his earlier conduct. Perhaps even Gokami would have been disgusted by his conduct earlier.

But, it was for a cause his princess was fighting for, to acquire freedom for humans and to have equality amongst man and beast. And the Imperial forces had no qualm in living alongside humans.

He blinked and heard a beeping and saw Thymilph on his screen.

"Wow Quantei, talk about a slaughter. You mad at something?" Asked the gorilla. Quantei scratched his cheek a little.

"Maybe..." The Gorilla gave him a toothy grin.

"Well tomorrow while we repair we can head to the gym and let loose some of that frustration my good friend. We have wiped most of the forces here at the Xehli Delta entrance and there's no sign of the enemy along the Siduta. Our scouts have reported seeing a huge pit north-east. We can head there for repairs and recooperation."

"What of Cytomander's forces? Will he make an appearance?" Thymilph shook his head.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But for now we can't head into the heartland yet. We need to wait on the _Dai-Gurren_ to reach there. So for now we earned ourselves a break." The dark skinned Nucleotype nodded.

"And you missed it! Man those Shura Marines were bloody!" Gaped the gorilla in amazement. Quantei rolled his eyes.

"I bet they were." He closed communications and channeled some Spiral Power. With a thrust, the _Serene Suinami_ left the wreckage and headed north to regroup with the _Dai-Gankai._

By noon, the _Dai-Gankai_ has taken the southern portion of the Xelhi Delta, eliminating several of Cytomander's aerial squads, some Northern Army reserves and a majority of the Western Navy reserves.

_Teppelin Heartland. Dai-Gando._

Guame growled as he overlooked the damages done in the south on the visual screen inside his command center. Adiane as countered Ursali's and Cytomander's forces well, in addition to losing some of his partial reserves. His bridge officers overlooked everything happening across the heartland and beyond.

"Give me a report on Deputy General Ursali," he rumbled, taking a drag from his pipe.

"Ursali is moving in from the south General. He appears to be leaving Saint Rimo sir." Guame nodded at the ant-eater's reply.

It was no common knowledge what made Ursali stood out was investing some of his funds into creating his own Dai-Gan fortress. However, this Dai-Gan was smaller than most fortress ganmen. He heard rumors of it being invincible yet silent and swift.

He scoffed at the motions of "invincible". The_ Dai-Gando_ is the only fortress capable of such a title, and it lived up to it as well.

"I take it he is moving out in the _Dai-Gankuro_ I assume?"

"It's possible sir." Guame nodded again, and heard another beeping. He pressed a button and Cytomander, arm's crossed, came on screen.

"I lost a good amount of men today Guame." Snided the peacock beastman.

'_Come to complain like the pup you are are you?'_ thought the armadillo beastman.

"Such is the fate of war Cytomander. Remember what Mugen said, our duty is to slow their advance to a grind. Make them lose men. The rogue shingann duo and the _Gurren Lagann_ will make it here to the Capital."

"Tch. I still say we eliminate them all in one fell swoop," growled Cytomander. "Besides, their aerial power is limited. I can overwhelm those fools easily."

"We have our king's orders. We await for the _Gurren Lagann_ and the shingann to reach the Capital. _Then_ we unleash all of our might and more. Understand where I am coming from Cytomander?" The Peacock beastman grabbed his chin and tapped at it in thought. Until he opened his mouth in realization.

"_Now_ I see. It's all mental. If we defend the capital while our enemies at at our doorstep, and while His Majesty the Spiral King fights himself..."

"Then we will more driven to defend it, going down to the last man and the last bullet. We have that mentality set, there' no way their special mecha can succeed." Cytomander grinned in respect.

"As expected from Guame the Steady. Now I better brief my men and figure out which aerial squadrons to send to tomorrow. How goes the _Dai-Ganzan_?" Guame moved his eyes towards a map posted on his right.

The _Dai-Ganzan_ hasn't budged an inch since it made landfall. He grinned a fanged grin. The death field clearly has them shaken up.

"It's going well. They haven't budged an inch. Now before night falls, send in aerial forces. Be quick and fast Cytomander. Have your men empty their munitions on the _Dai-Ganzan_, and retreat back to _Dai-Ganten_." The Peacock beastman chuckled with confidence.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" He moved some hair out of his right eye. "I _am_ Cytomader the Swift after all. Until tomorrow my friend." Guame nodded and Cytomander flickered out.

**And there you have it! Part 1 of Day 1 of the Battle of Teppelin. I'll conclude the Dai-Gurren part next chapter and move onto Day 2. More emphasis on the side characters!**

**If you guess who I got Quantei's PO'ed moment and how I got the name Shura Marines from(from a famous man who was unbeatable once...) cookie for you.**

**Battle, Quantei gets POed, Ailak's fate in the balance. More action. Side-characters!**

**Also, I have a poll on my profile. Please give it a look and vote!**

**Beta'ed by Juubi-K **


	29. Battle of Teppelin Day 1 Part 2

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. My OCs belong to me respectively. Jack, Salaco, and Mortaco belong to Toenn Gun.**

**AN: Note that somethings will be changed up due to a rewrite occurring in the earlier chapters. Just to let ya all know.**

* * *

_Teppelin Coast near the Chobu Plains. Day 1 of the Battle of Teppelin._

All across the Dai-Gurren there was an air of uncertainty, along with the loud sound of the Illustrious Kazenami's drill boring into the cliff side. It was reaching into the evening, as the sun is close to setting in the west.

Deep within Dai-Gurren was another matter. There in the briefing room stood Simon along with the highest members of the fortress ganmen.

"So, the entire coast from mountain to mountain," inclined Simon, putting his finger on the map on the coast. On the far northern and southern ends were thick mountain ranges, each of them separating each other into five different sections.

The northern section was littered with mountains and valleys. The southern section was chock full of swamps and deltas, currently the location of the other half of their invasion force. The western section had deep thick forests and the eastern section, the one they were at, was nothing but flat grassland all the way to the horse-shoe's edge.

Right outside the heartland, where the Spiral King and the sky-reaching Teppelin resided.

"Is littered in mines," confirmed Leeron. He brought up a pad of a digital display of the grassy coast. And there was Dai-Gurren on the coast's edge, and before them was red dots.

Lots and lots of red dots.

"They prepared well, that's for sure," continued the androgynous mechanic.

"Just because they prepped their party good," said Kittan, arms crossed as he stared down at the pad with a sneer. "Doesn't mean we can't crash it harder."

Simon nodded, seeing Kittan's face as he saw the bloodied and battered Ailak carried off into the medical wing. Had it not been his frantic brother Kidd carrying him and sprinting as if being chased by a lion, he would have bled to death.

'_Thank goodness for Salaco,'_ thought Simon. The fish beastwoman was Ailak's saving grace, stopping the bleeding, internal and external, and Ailak is sound asleep in the medical bay, his brother by his side, but not without consequence.

His missing right leg, amputated to remove shrapnel, was proof of that consequence.

"So what's the plan?" Asked Dayakka. The sound of the door opening broke the silent monotony, and Jack came walking in with cups of water.

"Couldn't Simon and I combine with Dai-Gurren?" Asked Yoko as she took a cup and Jack stood by her side. "That way, it's possible for the ship to gain a Levisphere." The black Labrador beastman shook his head.

"We can't waste Simon's fighting spirit. It's clear the longer he fights, the more he gets drained using the powers of Gurren Lagann. Having it combine with Dai-Gurren to fly over the Chobu Plains would drain him and Kirei himself is already tired out from drilling to make suitable land fall."

"He's been going for the last four hours. He and Kiyoh must be exhausted," pointed out Dayakka.

"Got any other ideas?" Asked Jack to the human occupants in the room. No response. The dog beastman let out a sigh.

"Great. We might as well get comfy, because the rate we're drilling, it'd take us weeks for us to make a path to the mountains."

"And that's time we don't have," Kittan bit his thumb. Simon was silent the whole time, and it did not go unnoticed by his copilot.

"Simon? You okay?" She asked. The blue haired digger reopened his eyes and turned towards the door.

"Yo Simon, where ya going?" Asked Jack.

"Getting Kirei to take a rest. He won't need to keep on drilling like that much longer," replied the Dai-Gurren Brigade leader. A look of hope flashed across Kittan's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Asked Dayakka. Simon stood in the doorway and gave the room's occupants a confident small grin.

"Because I'm gonna do what I do best." And he walked away, Yoko trotting after him.

"Do what you do best? You mean pilot Lagann?" Asked the redhead as she walked alongside the slightly shorter boy.

"Well yeah," replied Simon. And he grinned. "And a little something that I did before finding Lagann back at Giha Village."

* * *

The sound of tearing earth was all Kirei knew of the past two hours, he and his co-pilot Kiyoh wearing earplugs underneath earmuffs in order to lessen the loud roaring drill, which is extended from the shingann Illustrious Kazenami's left hand.

And to save their ear drums.

He saw Kiyoh's face appear on his screen, indicating him to call out to her.

"_What?"_ On cue, Kirei removed some of his earmuffs and earplugs and slowed down his drill.

"Simon wants us to take a break. He's got a plan to help remove the mines." Kirei nodded, and stopped the drilling and turned around, facing Dai-Gurren's hangar bay.

And he saw Lagann standing. The next instant, Simon's face was on his screen.

"Kirei, I'm gonna get rid of the mines myself using Lagann. Don't exert yourself anymore."

"_Are you sure? What if Lagann gets destroyed destroying the mines? Unless you got Leeron with you to disable them."_

"Do you really think I'd let Leeron stay with me in a confined space for more than an hour?"

Kirei blanched.

"_I guess not…besides that, I'd take Leeron with you. There's a ton of mines between us and the mountains. At least with him, or her or whatever, you can make a clear path for Dai-Gurren." _Simon nodded, taking Kirei's telepathic thoughts into consideration.

"I know that, but we don't have time for that. The beastman are sure to be entrenched in the mountains, and the more we wait, the more we let ourselves be vunerable to attack from other cities or from forces from the mainland. And we just got word that Adiane's forces were attacked four hours ago."

"_Did they make it?"_ Kirei asked with a little worry. He knew his so-called brother could handle himself, but would the other beastman catch up with him?

"Dai-Gankai got banged up a bit, but nothing a night's worth of repair and maintenance can't do. And only a few casualities, they are taking position at the middle of the horse shoe." At that moment, Kirei saw a map screen pop up to his left. He saw the Teppelin mainland, the heartland, the mountain ranges separating various parcels of land from each other, and the horse-shoe at the southern part of the mainland. And a blue dot in the dead center of the horse shoe.

"_I see then. Nia will be glad that Quantei is okay."_ Simon smiled.

"She is. I told her while on the way here," Lagann started to trot down the prow towards where the Illustrious Kazenami is standing.

"_I assume Kittan is peeved yes?"_

"Haven't told him yet." Kirei gave a small grin and shrugged.

"_Well if you insist then. If you want I can help you. _Illustrious Kazenami _may not be as small as _Lagann,_ but you may need the help."_ Simon shook his head.

"I'll be fine. Besides, you've been drilling for several hours. Take a break, get something to eat and rest a little. Fighting spirit is only as strong as the pilot's strength." Kirei gave a small nod.

"_You've been catching on Kiyoh?"_ asked Kirei down to his co-pilot in the chest section of the dark shingann. Kiyoh's face came up on his screen.

"I've been listening. Simon's right, we should take a break." The shingann's left hand drill shrunk and disappeared into the mecha and it began to walk back towards the hangar bay and-

The sound of their personal alarms caught the attention of both Spiral power using mechs. Jack appeared on screen, looking frantic.

"Guys bad news! We're gonna get some company! Several aerial squadrons of _Falgan_ and _Auwl_ class ganmen, and I think..." He looked off to the side, as if narrowing his eyes. He paled.

"Ah crap they have _Dai-Ganzan Mini-Types_ too!"

"_Dai-Ganzan_..." Said Simon quietly.

"_Mini-Types_?" Continued Kiyoh.

"They're a mass produced variant of _Dai-Gurren_," said Leeron, his face appearing below Jack on their screens. "They can also carry land ganmen as well, which means they could be trying to raid the ship."

Kirei turned to Simon. "_Well those mines aren't gonna be drilled themselves. Get going Simon!"_

"But what about you! You're tired and-"

"_Pardon me, but who the hell do you take me for," _replied Kirei telepathically with a confident smirk. "_I _am _Kirei the Destroyer. And you..."_ Simon relented and gave his friend a grin.

"Simon the Digger. And we gotta do what we do best." The two friends smiled as they stared at each other.

"_Alright, take out those mines!"_ Simon nodded and ran up to the cliff face, thruster blazing and jumped. He aimed Lagann's lower body at the bedrock, and the stubby legs were replaced by a large drill, already spinning at high speeds. And in an instant he was tunneling through rock like nothing.

Kirei reached into a side compartment inside his cockpit and quickly wolfed down a ration bar. Salaco said the rations bars were composed "granola, vitamens, and honey nuts". He enjoyed the taste and crunch as he scarfed the bar down his gullet and ran towards the hangar.

True enough, the other ganmen of the Dai-Gurren were present and assembled, even Gurren was armed with a sniper rifle, fitting it's pilot's preferred choice of weaponry.

The _Illustrious Kazenami_ held out it's hand, and the King Kittan tossed it a Pallet Mag rifle.

"We'll handle any cannon fodder those Dai-Gurren wannabes throw at us. We'll leave the air forces to you little bro," said Kittan with a grin.

"Me and Rossiu will give you artillery support Kirei," said Yoko from within Gurren. "Be careful out there alright?"

"Don't worry," replied Kiyoh. "Me and Kirei will handle just fine." Kiyoh turned towards her adopted brother/boyfriend with a smile and a wink. "Right?"

Kirei nodded and turned towards the sky. He could make out several dozens of dots in the sunset sky, lots of them.

Of in the distance he heard a muffled explosion. The shingann cocked back the rifle.

_"Damn straight."_

And with the unfolding of the wings, making it X-shaped, the Illustrious Kazenami's thrusters turned green and blasted into the sky.

* * *

Simon tunneled through rock, mud, underground water, fossil, whatever was in his way as he looked at the map indicating where the nearest mine was to make a straight to the mountains.

"All of these walls...just ripe for the breaking," smiled Simon. He saw the indicator of Lagann nearing a red dot...

Simon clenched his eyes and teeth as Lagann shook as it tore through another mine, causing an explosion as he drilled on past with all the speed the mecha could muster. Thankfully, Lagann proved much more durable than the average ganmen, and with his fighting spirit repairing the small nicks and dents.

"Five down..." He murmured. He thanked Salaco for reminding him to bring earmuffs and earplugs. Those explosions, added on with the sound of metal-tearing-earth, would have made his ears ring for weeks.

Another red dot...He gripped the handle bars and drilled on towards.

And another explosion, and his cockpit shook. Six down, and nearly a hundred square yards for Dai-Gurren to walk on safely.

And he still had another five to six hundred mines to go to make a straight line to the mountains.

"Boota would be traumatized if he went along. Good thing he's with Yoko," he murmured as he turned about face and aimed to ruin another mine.

* * *

"Boota stop squirming like that! It tickles!" Chuckled Yoko as she tried to aim her rifle at the sweeping Falgans.

But the explosions were not helping in things, as the shockwaves and bangs were making the pig mole, for lack of a better word.

Traumatized.

"Okay seriously quit it! I am wasting ammo here!" Yoko fired another few shots at a trio of sweeping Falgans, their machine gun fire blazing purple. The blue shots from her rifle went wide, although one bullet nicked one on the wing and caused to careen out of the control into the sea.

"Miss Yoko are you feeling well at all?" Asked Rossiu from the burrowed _Dayakkaiser. _"Your aims seem to be a bit-"

"Off I know!" Groaned Yoko. Her hand went into her cleavage and got out the shaking pigmole. "Rossiu open the hatch."

The Adai boy complied, the blue artillery ganmen opening it's cockpit and the boy stood on it's rim. Yoko opened Gurren's mouth and walked on out.

"Catch!" She threw Boota at the young boy, the pigmole squeeling as it flew and nailed the Adai boy right in his large forehead, causing him to fall back into the cockpit. Yoko then reached for her real sniper rifle, placed inside the canopy...

And after three wellplaced shots, three Falgans went down, their cockpits billowing smoke.

She then hopped back inside and took the controls of Gurren, it's cockpit closing, aimed at a formation of four green Falgans.

Another three shots, and all four were reduced to heated metal and ruin, the final shot making the destroyed Falgan's debris and shrapnel hit the fourth's fuel gage.

And all under six seconds.

"Please keep him occupied for me will you," asked Yoko. The Rossiu knew it was a rhetorical question and gave a nod over the sound of roaring cannon and gun fire.

"Sure..."

That said, the two turned on to the skies and fired at the aerial ganmen sweeping in, and seeing the green dot wrecking havoc in the sky.

* * *

_Skies over Chobu Plains_

_"_Bomber's on the right!" Yelled Kiyoh.

"_I hear ya!" _Kirei turned the Illustrious Kazenami around and fired another burst from his rifle, green bursts shredding the Auwls like paper. He saw two transformed Falgans in ganmen mode firing their cables at him from behind, and the dark shingann drew out it's knife from it's shoulder pauldron and sliced the cables before they touched the dark shingann.

And with a flash of green the knife extended into a sleek and thin sword, and with a quick burst from the thrusters, the shingann sliced the two Falgans in two in almost an instant.

The Falgans and Auwls seemed to have understood the picture regarding Kirei, and have backed off accordingly and flying towards Dai-Gurren. The Illustrious Kazenami retracted it's knife and stored it back in it's pauldron. Kirei's eye's slooped.

"_What the..."_ He felt incredibly fatigued all of the sudden, panting as if he ran a marathon. Then he remember that he was drilling for most the afternoon before the Imperials attacked, and his lack of fighting spirit was proof that the silver haired boy needed rest.

"I don't think so!" Yelled Kiyoh as she took control and flew breakneck speed at the aerial ganmen, small drills appearing all over it's body...

And when the dark shingann got right in the middle of aerial formation of dozens of hostile aerial ganmen, Kiyoh roared.

"Eat this!" And the small drills rocketed out of the Illustrious Kazenami.

And the sky soon became littered with explosions, but not before green lines soared in every direction.

As all the debris and slag fell to the earth(and causing some explosions due to landing on mines) the Illustrious Kazenami hovered, it's eyes glowing dark green.

In the chest cockpit, Kiyoh panted, taking in deep breaths of oxygen, her chest rising and falling.

And this whole time Kirei's eyes were wide.

"_Nice piloting,"_ he remarked. Then his mental tone shifted to worry. "_But Kiyoh you pushed yourself way too hard. You could have been hurt doing that or worse!"_

Kiyoh opened her eyes towards the screen and smiled. "I'll be fine. You're the one who is tired after all Kirei. And besides," she pointed her thumb to the side and the silver haired boy turned his head.

And many other of the aerial ganmen were retreating back to Teppelin as if the devil were at their heels, their blue thrusters blazing a trail and leaving the few Dai-Ganzan Mini-Types to the ground forces near Dai-Gurren.

"Should we follow?" Asked Kiyoh.

"_Let them go. The more fighting strength we _both _conserve, the better. Let's return to the ship and give the group fire support."_

Kiyoh gave a mock salute and grinned. "Roger that." Kirei smiled a little too, and took the controls as he flew the dark shingann back towards the earth.

* * *

_Chobu Plains_

The King Kittan took cover behind it's shield as it charged, it's lance ready as it gored a Grunt ganmen. He narrowly dodged a large fist from the Dai-Ganzan Mini-Type as Kittan looked up at it's command center.

Considering he was on their deck, he was an easy target.

He heard the tell tale sign of another explosion, and Kittan turned his eyes left as he parried a club strike from a Grunt. Another Dai-Ganzan Mini-Type was down, and no aerial support was coming for the Imperials.

And with the sun setting, Kittan knew why. He growled.

'_Those bastards, they are abandoning them,'_ He could even see some beastmen trying to escape the battle-ship he's currently on. And for a moment...

Kittan let them go as they landed in the dirt and started running towards the mountains. Even though beastmen killed his mother and razed his village, his home, to the ground, he could never understand the pain of being abandoned.

'_Man it must suck,'_ he thought, so involved in his inner train of thought on mercy he didn't see a Grunt charge at him with a spear.

He heard successive gunshots and a yell from a Grunt and the command center of the Dai-Ganzan Mini-Type exploded, and Kittan turned.

The spear wielding Grunt was disabled, it's cockpit blasted and ruined. And the Kidd Knuckle slowly walked from behind the King Kittan.

"Thanks for the save Kidd, I owe ya," said Kittan over his comm. There was no reply and he saw the monkey-like ganmen turn to mountains.

And the Kidd Knuckle fired it's pistols, and to Kittan's horror, right at the retreating beastmen. They were evaporated or torn apart, or sent flying. To make matters worse, the virbrations from the pistols sent the mines off, wiping out any stragglers.

The yellow mecha tackled the gray ganmen. "Kidd what the fuck is wrong with you! Those were unarmed combatants!"

"Unarmed combatants?" Sneered Kidd's voice in a low tone over the comm. "Don't make me laugh Kittan. I was doing the Brigade a favor."

"A favor!" Kittan snarled. "You think that firing at their backs, when they have no more spirit left to fight anymore, is doing us a _favor?"_ He heard the beep and turned, seeing Kidd's hate-filled visage on his screen.

"If they retreated, they would have found more ganmen to pilot and kill our own! Those damn animals deserved to purged!" At this point, another window opened, and Jack came on view.

"Kidd what are you thinking!" He barked. Kidd turned his head towards the window.

"Like I'll listen to what you fucking monsters have to say! My brother is fighting for his life and is almost at death's door because of your kind!" At this point the Kidd Knuckle turned towards the Dai-Gurren and-

Kittan immediatly got in between the gray ganmen and the red battleship, lance and shield raised.

"Don't you even think of firing on Dai-Gurren Kidd. I know you're hurting right now, but Ailak wouldn't have-"

"The fuck you know about what Ailak wants! You're not his brother! All you got is some two-bit tramps for sisters and some inhuman fiend for a bro-" And a large crash rang out as a dark shape landed on top of the Kidd Knuckle.

It was the Illustrious Kazenami.

"Enough, both of you! The Dai-Ganzan Mini-Types are taken down, and Simon is halfway done in regards to clearing a path!" Barked Kiyoh, whose tone implied she was angry, if not more so, than Kittan. "We need to get back to Dai-Gurren and rest for tomorrow!"

There was an awkward silence as Kittan stared up at the dark shingann. And the blonde Bachika turned towards his window on his screen.

Kidd was knocked out cold, some blood visible on his crown. Kittan scoffed.

"Served him right." He turned towards the Illustrious Kazenami. "Kirei, Kiyoh...did you see that I assume?"

He heard a "Mm-hmm" from Kiyoh and felt the strange sensation inside his head.

"_Yes..."_ Kittan was still trying to get a good connection with his younger brother, but from what Kiyoh told him, it starts out patchy but before long he'll be able to have conversations with the silver haired Bachika.

And the tone of Kirei's voice...was exhausted and low.

"Look Kirei..." Kittan said but stopped. He didn't know what to say really. Quantei filled him on the stormy ride to the Imperial mainland about Kirei's past, him being named Gokami Cinqus Primera, being a super soldier and ganmen pilot, and having an attitude that was eerily similar to Kamina's back fifty years ago.

And he didn't forget about Kirei's birth mother and ex-girlfriend being beastwomen.

"_...It's fine...will manage...idd is just...I would be...if any one of...ere in Ailak's shoes..."_ The blonde nodded, getting a good gist on what he was saying.

"Jack and the other beastmen onboard Dai-Gurren won't be as understanding broski," said Kittan turning towards the Dai-Gurren. "To think that at this time and place _this_ would happen..."

Another uneasy silence fell upon the Bachikas, and they returned back to the Dai-Gurren without a word.

* * *

Simon panted as he turned left through the dirt, seeing the approaching red dot.

His ears got rattled again and he almost slammed his head against the cockpit from the explosion.

"Just..." He panted, using his fighting spirit to repair Lagann again underneath the darkened earth. "A few more..."

He saw a window on his screen open up, revealing Dayakka.

"Simon! That's enough! Stop!" Simon had his eyes closed, panting as he tried to get some oxygen into his lungs. He has been feeling weaker...but he is not going to give up just yet.

"I'm fine...Dayakka...I can still keep digging..." Another window popped up revealing Salaco in the bridge.

"Simon I am looking at your vitals and at Lagann, you've been inside that air-tight ganmen for more than a half-hour-"

"I still have a few more to go and-"

"Let me finish you damn brat!" Snapped Salaco, making Simon flinch. "Look, you're oxygen levels are running low and you'll be breathing nothing but carbon dioxide in your cockpit and-"

"Whats carbon dioxide?" Asked Simon. The fish beastwoman rolled her eyes.

"We breath in oxygen, goes through our lungs, and we expel carbon dioxide, also called CO2. If you don't have oxygen Simon," Her visage became terse. "You'll be poisoning yourself and you'll die."

Simon flinched again. So far, Salaco, despite her aloof attitude at times, has been doing nothing but looking for the Dai-Gurren Brigade, regardless whether they be human or beast.

"Don't make me pull the Yoko card on you, because I will if you don't come back," said Salaco. "Besides, Dai-Gurren can take a few mines and keep on walking."

"That's right," added in Jack with a hint a of pride, popping in on another window. "This battleship can take a few stubbed toes. Besides, we all need to rest to make the big charge to the mountains tomorrow."

Simon paused giving some thought. Dai-Gurren's motto was to bust through every wall in their way to pave their own path, to kick logic to the curb and do the impossible...

Kamina followed that, attacking the heavily armed Hawquieru without a plan, and it costed him his life...

'_Salaco's right. I can't die, not as long as...'_ His mind went to the shapely sharpshooter...

"Alright, I'm heading back. I'll drill a hole topside to get some oxygen and I'll drill back to the coast. Initiate any repairs on our ganmen and Dai-Gurren into the night. We will have a big day tomorrow for us." Simon aimed the Lagann's forehead drill and drilled upward.

"Roger," said Dayakka and Jack at the same time. Salaco nodded and the windows closed.

As long as she lives, he won't die...

* * *

_Teppelin Heartland. Dai-Gando_

Guame was annoyed as he looked at the figures on his small screen inside his command center.

Over a one-thousand casualties, all on the first day. Mainly Cytomander's forces taking the brunt of it.

Come morning, he will never hear the end of it from that upstart General, who will seek to place blame on him, wheras the true culpirt is a certain mutt. The armadillo beastman looked up to Teppelin, the giant drill-like city reaching into the heavens, where his Majesty took seat...

And where Pronein, or Mugen Kanus, would be formulating more plans and the like to try and stop the rebels. His track record proved otherwise.

"Sir, we have some survivors from Xelhi and Chobu," said an ant-eater beastman working at a terminal. Guame nodded.

"Send them to Teppelin to give them rest, although have them give reports on our enemies' strength and the like," said the Northern general.

"Yes sir. Will do-oh, incoming transmission." Guame's eyes rose and let loose a sigh. Cytomander is coming to gripe and moan. Typical.

"Put it through." The bridge officers did so, and Guame looked up at the screen and found not the Peacock Beastman, but rather the multi-armed squid.

"Deputy General Ursali."

"General Guame," replied Ursali, his tone respectful. "I am pleased to inform you that the Dai-Gankuro will be able to ambush the Dai-Gankai at dawn."

"Oh?" Asked Guame, his curiosity piqued. "Isn't your ganmen fortress more adept in scuttlebutting like my Dai-Gando, not like Adiane's Dai-Gankai?"

"I'm just aiming to let you know that be sure to give a watch as I blast them, and the traitor Quantei Niju into dust. Another of Dai-Gankuro's fine points," he grinned. "It's firepower can spear a battleship in two."

'_Thousand creds you wouldn't be able to scratch my fortress one bit,'_ thought the armadillo beastman. "How intriguing. I look forward to seeing your performance. Please do not disappoint, after all. If you sink Adiane, you've more than proven yourself as capable of becoming a Divine General of the west."

"I aim to General. Now I must commence radio silence. Been a pleasure," smirked Ursali.

"Likewise." '_Not.'_ And the screen went dark.

"Sir, night as fallen, all ganmen have begun to shut down," said one ant-eater beastman.

"Fall in for the night. Let the night take over."

"What about you sir?"

"I'll be fine. Leave me to my devices."

And the bridge crew of the Invincible Land Fortress leaved the command center, leaving Guame to meditate, his eyes closed as he rested and thought.

And as night falls, the first day of the Battle of Teppelin has come to an end.

* * *

_Centrallio Prison_

Centrallio Prison.

A prison built upon a giant glacier far to the north near the north pole of the Earth. The tip of the great iceburg was nearly a mile high, equivalent to a mountain.

But it was only the tip, and beneath the iceburg was giant complex ice prison, maintained with state of the art tech to keep the prison at below freezing temperatures.

It's inmates, ranging from dissenters, humans, or human lovers, or the worst of criminals are sent here to this icy hell on earth, it's guards savage polar bear and walrus beastmen, adapted to such harsh climates. And even if the guards were to be overrun, Enki-class ganmen roved the corridors and outside perrimeter, premitting no escape.

The prison had nine levels, each with unique prisoners depending per level, the top levels home to the prison staff and low-threat level inmates.

And the worst of criminals, traitors of the highest caliber, are sent to the bottom, where it is at it's most coldest and darkest...

As two Polar bear beastman stood by a great steel door, patroling back and forth, none of them noticed something that stood out at the bitting cold chamber in front of the most guarded of cells, home to a unique prisoner to undergo a unique punishment, requested by the Spiral King himself...

The two guards did not notice a fluttering light green butterfly, fluttering to the cell without a care. As soon as it landed on the ground, it's wing's flexing back and forth...

The two guards fell to the ground, unconscious. And the butterfly fluttered up again, hovering in mid-air...

And a great green flash of light blinded the room for a moment, and in the butterfly's place was a tall man, seemingly human in appearance with pale white skin, light yellow hair and a pair of terse and stern scarlet eyes, his face as serious as his gaze. He was dressed in what looked like elaborate light green robes.

With the touch of the steel door, the great door opened, as if made of nothing. And the man walked into the dark chamber, it's only light source coming from one place.

A pool with orange liquid, and in the center of the pool was a girl, crucified by large steel drills into her limbs and stomach, her red hair was covering her lowered head.

He walked towards the pool with a casual grace, as he looked down at the girl condescendingly.

"Wake up." He quipped, and he saw the small rise of her head, and her glaring green eyes from her hair.

"Who...the fuck...are you..." panted the girl, her tone belaying hostility and anger. The man showed no emotion at her comment, and didn't even care.

"Anima Threesai." The man said. "I am Memeins, and I have a use for you."

* * *

**Well there you have it. Chapter 29 all finished! Took me a while, with League of Legends(add IncredibleFish) and Demons Souls taking up my time, not to mention my sister moving back home from college. My next update may more or less be CMM, as I am salivating to post more chapters for that story.**

**Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter. Next one will have the aftermath of Day 1 at night and moving onto Day 2.**

**Beta'ed by Juubi-K.**


	30. Battle of Teppelin Day 2

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. My OCs belong to me respectively. Jack, Salaco, and Mortaco belong to Toenn Gun.**

**AN: Note that something's will be changed up due to a rewrite occurring in the earlier chapters. ****Just to let ya all know.**

* * *

_Xelhi Delta, Teppelin Southland. Day 2 of the Battle of Teppelin_

"That's far enough. I think we've covered enough ground between here and the coast," ordered Adiane.

The _Dai-Gankai_ slowed to a crawl on the banks of the marshy delta in the Imperial marshland. Over the course of the day and into the night, the Submarine Fortress Ganmen had been sailing up the river. They ran into several pockets of Imperial patrols or leftovers from the day's earlier confrontation. Nothing the missiles from the battleship couldn't handle.

Extending all of its legs, the centipede ganmen set course for a nearby island within the massive delta. Waddling its way onto land, the ship stopped, it's legs supporting it upright.

"Send out the repair crews. Their three hour break is over. The sooner we can finish the repairs on the _Dai-Gankai_, the better," ordered the bluenette beastwoman, stern and commanding. The otter beastman named Josef, the command centre's only other occupant, nodded.

"Orders relayed…" he replied as he typed. "And sent…" He let loose a deep yawn and smacked his lips.

The sound of a door opening caught their attention. There lumbering towards them with two cups of a smoking something was Thymilph.

"Good work Josef. Get some shut eye. You'll need it." The otter saluted and walked slowly out of the command center, his tail dragging. The Gorilla beastman offered one of the cups to his fellow Deputy Commander, who accepted and looked apathetic.

"You know I was going to work him till dawn right?" said the snake-scorpion. The giant primate shrugged.

"You do that he wouldn't function and you'd lose pivotal part of your crew when morning comes. It's best to rest your men whenever you have the chance. You'll never know when you'll be without rest." Adiane gave a barely audible chuckle and a very small smile, some could have assumed it was a scoff.

"You've gotten way too soft Thymilph." Her one eye turned towards the giant ape man who grinned goofily.

"I do admit that that Simon kid rubbed off on me. Besides, what I said was only common sense and," He winked. "The crew needs a kind papa to cry to when momma comes shrieking at them and is generally unlikable." He was thwacked softly on the knee by Adiane's tail. The beastwoman rolled her eyes and began to sip the coffee diligently.

"Whatever…" Thymilph began to drink his own caffeinated drink in kind, silence falling on the bridge. The only sound was the muffled yelling of the repair crews outside.

"How're the pilots?" asked Adiane.

"Oh?" He smirked playfully. "You're now concerned for your men eh?"

Adiane blew a bit of hair out of her face with a sneer. "Don't get the wrong idea, if the Spiral King or ISO attacks again I need them at full strength no matter what. I doubt you and me in our Ganmen can take on an entire army."

"I don't mind the idea though really," remarked the gorilla as he sat down on a stool near the throne Adiane lounged on. "The idea of fighting alongside you, back to back, with little to no odds of surviving?" He gave a grin. "I wouldn't mind dying that way."

"You're not dying on my watch you old ape" retorted Adiane with a smirk.

"If I was gonna die, I'd rather it be on my own terms: fighting against a powerful foe." He turned towards the beastwoman. "And with you by my side…"

Thymilph couldn't contain his grin as he saw the snake scorpion's cheeks turn a little shade of pink. He let out a contained snigger, and yelped as his head got wacked by her tail. As he rubbed his crown, Adiane was no longer flustered but composed and fuming. She continued sipping. The gorilla let out a sigh.

"I'm amazed that Quantei is still up and about though," he said, trying to change the subject of conversation about his preferred demise to the most powerful pilot on the _Dai-Gankai_. Adiane's eye opened and looked at him.

"He's still up?" she asked, rather surprised.

"Mm-hmm." He nodded. "I saw him drink several caffeine enhancers and so far he's acting fine. This is my probably my tenth cup of coffee of the night."

"Well he's no ordinary human remember? He's a Spiral Knight, one of Lordgenome's elite."

"Ex-Spiral Knight," corrected Thymilph.

"Whatever."

"Anyways, he's working on his shingann and has been keeping to himself a lot," He mused. "Must miss Nia quite a bit."

"Or sulking on how he lost out on a bet to that Kittan guy," commented Adiane. "He obsesses too much over that girl."

Thymilph grinned. "So does Kittan, can't help but think of the defensive mindset for the guy."

Adiane nodded but didn't reply as she sighed and looked out the window. "Thymilph…"

"Mmm?"

"Do you think that…" She paused, looking straight at Teppelin, soaring high over the mountain ranges to the north. "Codine is okay…" The atmosphere within the command center went from cordial to sullen as Thymilph sighed.

"Well…" He paused, trying to find an answer. He has known Adiane for a long time, and the one thing she treasures more than her friendship with him is her little sister.

"I mean…word has clearly gotten out to Teppelin of my betrayal. What if they want to hurt me through her," she asked nervously. "like, make her a scapegoat or something. What if that no good fiance-"

"Don't think that," said the gorilla sternly. Adiane stopped her triad and looked at the gorilla, standing tall and proud as he looked out the window as well.

"If Codine is your sister, then she will be as strong and tenacious as you. The woman won't allow someone to persecute her THAT easily, and besides," He turned towards her. "You should have more faith in others."

Adiane didn't reply to Thymilph's last remark, but she felt at ease and even gave him a small smile. "Thanks…"

Thymilph gave a gentle smile and nodded, walking back and placing a large hand on her lithe shoulder. "If you need to talk about anything, just holler."

"Sure…" And the Gorilla began to lumber towards the door. "Hey Thymilph?" The giant gorilla turned his head.

"Mmm?"

"You tell a soul what was said here and I'll kill you, got it," she threatened as she began to lean back and yawned on her throne as she brought up a control panel from the armrest. The Deputy Commander chuckled and shook his head.

"Lips are sealed."

"Fiancé…" She paused, trying to find a word to describe the mutt that was Codine's fiancé. "What if-"

* * *

Quantei opened his eyes

He felt drained, but after shaking his head and dumping a water bottle's contents over it, he got back to work. He had only meant to look out over the marsh for a few minutes.

The hangar, despite it being late at night, was still buzzing with activity. Numerous aquatic and land beastmen, along with the occasional human, were hard at work repairing the Grunt Ganmen, reloading their weapons, and inspecting their systems for the battles to come. Quantei had checked over his machine over half a dozen times over the last six hours, and keeping himself awake with caffeinated drinks.

But it wasn't the drinks that were keeping him awake, nor the threat of the beastmen legions assaulting them. It was a two-fold threat.

ISO, the organisation that had used him and even set Princess Nia up to be banished from the capital just to take advantage of him.

And his siblings, Segundio and Anima. Out of the trifecta of Nucleotypes under Lordgenome's command, he was the weakest of three, with Segundio and Anima in a neck to neck race to prove who was the strongest.

Anima…The very name made Quantei glare out to Teppelin. She had to have been behind the disappearance of Prima and Gokami. She was the one who reported it and suffered many wounds.

Would he meet her on the field of battle, or would he confront his apathetic and aloof older brother? Or would they ignore him and go after Simon and Gokami? It was possible, considering the threat the _Dai-Gurren _posed.

Either way, the androgynous Nucleotype wanted his _Serene Suinami _in tip-top shape. He had seen his two siblings in battle, knew their piloting styles, but they also knew his. He couldn't afford to be lax.

Having finished the diagnostics, Quantei stepped out of his machine and began climbing down. Off to one side, he could see the mechanics adding something on the back of Thymilph's _Byakou_ganmen. He wondered for a moment what it was, then dismissed the question.

It did not matter, for the enemy would return.

It was simply a matter of when.

* * *

_Xelhi Delta. Submarine Attack Ganmen Dai-Gankuro._

"Dai-Gankai spotted on radar, position forty kilometers to the north," said an aquatic fish ganmen. He was short and round like a pufferfish.

"Status?" droned Ursali. They Deputy General of the Western Navy sat slouched on his command throne, his arrow-shaped head leaning against two of his tentacles in boredom.

"It appears that they have stopped on an island within the delta."

Ursali smirked. "Must be repairing from the yesterday's battle. Status on the Charge Particle Stampeder?"

"Beginning the charge," replied a manta ray beastwoman. "One hundred percent charge time is estimated at…fifteen minutes."

"Good. At the fourteen minute mark begin our ship's ascendance," ordered Ursali curtly. "ETA until firing range of the _Dai-Gankai_?"

The pufferfish beastman turned around and gave his commander a grin. "Less then ten minutes at this pace sir."

"Excellent. Take her slow and steady. Then…" He gave them a malign smile. "We're gonna give those traitors a taste of what it means to defy the Spiral King."

"Gonna be fun watching that battleship go out like that," commented the manta ray beastwoman.

"A going-away present to Adiane, with my compliments," remarked Ursali, keeping his grin up.

* * *

_Xelhi Delta. Dai-Gankai._

"Progress on the repairs?" Thymilph asked the head mechanic.

"We've managed to patch up the armor, but repairing the turret bay and some of the servo motors on the left leg will take a while," said the mechanic, a Sea Turtle beastman. The gorilla nodded.

"Alright, see what you can do. The priority is the leg unit followed by the starboard hangar." He turned around and looked at the hangar, the workers welding iron slabs to some noticeable holes, and the mechanics inspecting the Grunts. He saw some humans, but they kept to themselves.

He noticed the tall white shingann at the back, and Quantei within the throat-cockpit.

"Yo! Quantei!" he yelled out. The green-haired head poked out. "Sun is going to rise soon! You gonna get something to eat?"

"Already ate some rations! I'm going out for recon!" hollered back Quantei as his head disappeared. Thymilph stepped away as the _Serene Suinami_'s cockpit closed. Some of the deck crew did likewise, seemingly intimidated by the strange machine.

"You sure 'bout that?!" Thymilph knew that the _Serene Suinami_ was the best option for recon since it was still night out. But he knew from experience what could happen if he let an exhausted pilot go into battle.

"I'll be fine!" answered Quantei as the shingann flashed its eyes and started towards the hangar door, grabbing a halberd-club spear. "I'll be back in a half hour."

As it stood at the mouth, its Levi-Sphere glowed green. Thymilph covered his eyes with one bulky arm as the mecha flew out of the hangar. As he lowered his arm, he saw the _Serene Suinami_ dart and skim along the waters behind the _Dai-Gankai, _sending waves rippling across the delta.

"Well he is vigilant, I'll give him that," remarked Thymilph as he walked away from the mouth of the hangar and headed towards his own Ganmen, the _Byakou_.

"How's it going?" he asked one of the human mechanics welding some parts together. The human, confirmed to be a young male, flipped his metal mask up.

"Going fine sir," he replied with a nervous edge. "We managed to patch up your ganmen, and we found an intact Levi-Sphere amongst the wreckage from earlier today."

"Oh?" The general grinned. "So, the _Byakou_ will be able to take to the skies then?"

"Well, we're in the final stages of installing it into the ganmen's frame and structure, as well as connecting the systems to your controls and…it gets a lot more complicated…"

"Care to humor me with the abridged version?"

"Basically, we're finishing inserting the Levi-Sphere into your ganmen. We just have to make some final touches, and of course test drive it, see if it can hold the _Byakou_'s weight and-"

Thymilph patted the boy on the back. "Oh relax I get it I get it. Thanks for letting me know, and I plan on taking _Byakou_ out on our next sortie." He began to lumber away, the mechanic turning around.

"But we still need to test it and-"

"Relax," the gorilla turned around, giving him a confident gaze. "I'll be testing it myself." Without a word, he walked away, leaving the workers to their devices.

'_Funny,'_ he thought to himself. '_A month ago I never would have imagined allowing a human to touch my ganmen, let alone ally with them.'_ He stopped in the hallway leading out of the hangar and looking out into the night sky. He gave a small chuckle and a grin.

_'Fate works in funny ways, and for some reason…I kinda like this…'_

* * *

_Xelhi Delta. Submarine Attack Ganmen Dai-Gankuro._

"Charge at Ninety-eight percent," said the manta ray. Ursali's smile bared teeth.

"That's good enough. Begin the ascent and prepare to fire."

The two beastman obeyed, and he felt his machine begin to rise. He felt the shudder and thrum of the gears and mechanisms turning as the ganmen began its transformation sequence.

"There's a ganmen launching from the _Dai-Gankai_ sir."

"What is it?" Ursali soon saw a white and green dot circling over the _Dai-Gankai_'s perimeter like a hawk.

"It is confirmed that the machine is the _Serene Suinami_, one of the shinganns in the rebel's possession."

"More like committed treason," corrected the squid beastman towards his pufferfish subordinate. "Aim the cannon at the fortress, then get ready to deploy the bits."

"Yes sir."

'_You're little game is over Adiane. You, that traitor of a knight, and your little rebellion are _finished'

The _Dai-Gankuro_'s sole mono-eye lit up.

* * *

_Xelhi Delta._

Quantei flew high above the _Dai-Gankai_, the green shingann circling the marsh, its eyes scanning the ground.

_'They're gonna come_,' he thought. He just had a feeling in his gut, nagging and raking at him. There would soon be an attack. It was only a matter of when.

"Where are you?" he said out loud.

Suddenly, to his surprise, he saw a faint dark shape. It was too large to be a whale, and the wrong shape.

"Dai-Gankai!" He yelled as he dived, thrusters blazing. "Contact on the port bow!"

"What?!" hollered Adiane over the comm. "What is it? We aren't picking it up on radar!"

"It's underwater! I repeat!" The shingann reached up for its polearm. "It's underwater!"

He could see the figure shift underwater, and felt ice in his veins as a glowing light appeared. He jerked to the side, his stomach lurching, as a roar erupted from the waters below. The manoeuvre saved his life, as a yellow beam seared through the sky he had occupied a moment earlier, splitting the clouds as it passed.

Regaining his balance, he flew back towards the now-ascending enemy. He could see its serpentine head, from which the yellow beam was still blazing. The head lowered, the beam coming down like a giant glowing blade to cut _Dai-Gankai _in two. Mercifully, impossibly, the massive naval fortress managed to leap away. The beam exploded as it struck, black and red hellfire erupting from the dry ground, and white steam billowing and hissing from the water.

Quantei took in the design of the newcomer. It was large, but nothing like as big as the _Dai-Gankai, _being more like the size of a _Dai-Ganzan _MiniType. It was painted a deep blue, its features were reminiscent both of a scorpion and a crustacean. Its shoulders were broad and sleek, with a large hole in each, its serpentine head crowned with a single, glowing eye. It had two claws, similar to _Dai-Gankai_'s own, and some sort of generator or propulsion system under the main body. It's face was plastered across its torso, below the dragon's head.

The Submarine Attack Ganmen: _Dai-Gankuro._

"I'm going in!" yelled Quantei as he charged. The machine's eye tracked him, and ports clunked open along its abdomen. Quantei slowed down as missiles leapt from the exposed launchers, readying his poleaxe to cut or deflect them.

But the missiles didn't come his way. Instead they slowed down, propellers sprouting from their noses as their engines burnt out. They hovered around the giant mecha like so many fireflies. Quantei wondered for a moment what they might be, until he saw the glow from the _Dai-Gankuro_'s shoulders.

"Emitters!" he yelled, backing the _Suinami _away as the Charge Particle Emitters unleashed their deadly energy. He watched in amazement as the twin beams struck the hovering emitters, splitting into smaller and smaller beams as they were reflected back and forth. In the blink of an eye the whole world seemed to light up as countless beams flared out from the emitters, in every direction except that of the mecha.

Quantei cried out as his left knee erupted in pain. Below him, the _Serene Suinami_'s lower left leg fell away, leaving a smoking stump where the beam had passed. All the while the beams criss-crossed the sky, in a light-show that would have been awesome to behold, were it not for the destruction it wrought. As the pain faded, Quantei saw that the _Dai-Gankai_ was also under fire, explosions rippling across the hull as the beams punched through, some of the smaller legs falling away as _Suinami_'s had.

Quantei growled, and dove his shingann towards the _Dai-Gankuro, _poleaxe at the ready. The machine lashed out with one massive claw, big enough to crush him or cut him in half. He dodged the claw, only for the dragon-like head to swing sideways and swat him away. The impact slammed Quantei against his seat, his Resonance Ratio impacting his nerves.

But in an instant he had recovered, enough to back his mecha away and give himself a moment to think. Attacking that monstrosity head-on would not be easy.

He snarled through his teeth as _Suinami_'s leg grew back. A blistering blue beam flashed past on his left, heading straight for the enemy ganmen. But the floating emitters were equal to the task, a barrier between them catching the beam.

"Need help kiddo?!" Quantei turned, seeing the _Byakou_ flying in at full speed, now equipped with a Levisphere.

"You think!" snapped back Quantei as he flew around the machine, now hovering above the water. A malign light glowed in its open mouth.

"I think we found where that beam came from!"

"I figured as much!" added Thymilph, aiming his Ronginshu Lance, snapping off short blue beams at the _Dai-Gankuro_. But the reflector bits were agile, and quick to defend their charge. Not one beam struck.

"_Dai-Gankai_! Move! Now!" hollered Quantei.

_Dai-Gankuro_ fired, the head opening up as if it was a dragon spewing fire, the roar of the beam making his ears rattle. The yellow stream of destruction raced towards the _Dai-Gankai_, even as it tried to leap away. The beam seared past, blasting the earth to ash and boiling the water into clouds of white steam. Steam and smoke mingled, obscuring the ground.

"That's a Charge Particle Stampeder alright. The first shot must have been fully charged, for it to last that long," remarked Thymilph as it flew beside the shingann.

"Quite" added Quantei. "I'm going in! Harass it!"

"On it!" Thymilph fired more shots from the Ronginshu Lance, but the shots were either negated or reflected courtesy of the hovering bits. The _Serene Suinami_ dove, poleaxe raised to cleave the giant ganmen in two.

He saw the pincer reacting, and dodged as it flew towards him. He then saw the other pincer try to constrict him but Quantei smacked it away with the poleaxe, and found himself staring directly into an open mouth.

Disabling his Levisphere, Quantei felt himself fall into the river, and the roar of the CPS mere yards above the shingann's head. The Resonance Ratio picked up the heat from the energy blast and he felt his crown heat up a little.

Quantei smirked. The _Dai-Gankuro_'s underbelly was…

He felt a bowling-ball bash into his midsection as the _Serene Suinami_ was sent hurtling underwater, care of the ganmen's scorpion tail.

"Oh HELL no!" Quantei blasted out of the water, avoiding a CPE blast from the tail. Then he cried out in pain as hot razor rods sliced into his right arm and left leg. The shingann lurched as one pincer caught it with a hard blow, sending it back into the water.

"Quantei!" yelled Thymilph, who had managed to dodge the CPE scatter. Quantei seethed, then grunted as he felt the shingann repair itself, the arm and leg materializing in a flash of green Spiral energy.

"I'm okay!"

"It's futile," rumbled the giant ganmen, as its head reared up and it's closed mouth glowed.

* * *

_Dai-Gankai_

_"_Evasive action!" commanded Adiane.

The _Dai-Gankai_ continued to rove at the fastest speed it could manage. They leapt into the water, sending rippling waves in all directions. A few seconds later the yellow energy blast soared overhead, missing the command bridge by a few dozen meters.

"Missiles?" She asked.

"Armed and ready!"

"Fire at will!" The rear hatches on the battleship opened, and a flurry of missiles lanced out into the sky towards the _Dai-Gankuro_.

Adiane growled when she saw the light show of lasers, and all the missiles were detonated in the sky.

"Prepare another volley! Prepare Port-side torpedoes!"

"Aye aye!" She heard small explosions rumble as the beams sliced into her ship.

"We lost the Port side turret bay! Hangar door is compromised!"

"What?" Adiane turned her head around to a goldfish beastwoman looking down at the console.

"The servos operating the door got damaged! We can't launch any ganmen from the port side! They're stuck!" Adiane growled.

"Come on you two..." She whispered, seeing the blue and green darts circle and pester the _Dai-Gankuro_.

"Torpedoes ready?"

"Ready in three...two...one..."

"Fire!" The _Dai-Gankai_ fired a volley of torpedoes from within the water, diving into the blue and soaring towards the _Dai-Gankuro_.

"Thymilph! Quantei! Keep that thing busy! Got a payload heading towards it now!" called the snake-scorpion over the comm.

"Got it!" They both responded and cut out. Adiane bit her lip.

* * *

"Quit resisting! You can't win!" The _Dai-Gankuro_ fired another CPE spectrum from its shoulders, causing the two mechas to back off. The _Byakou_ did a backflip over a beam and dived straight forward towards the blue ganmen.

"Alkaid Glaive!" The lance glowed blue and Thymilpg aimed for its raised head...

…and would have gored right though if the hovering reflectors didn't get in the way. Thymilph growled in frustration as his lance was halted. He pressed down, drying to force it through.

He saw movement from his left and dropped back, avoiding a pincer strike and then free falling to avoid a CPS burst.

Quantei roared as he charged, poleaxe raised and the dragon's head whipped around, bashing against the shingann and sending him flying into an island.

From within the Dai-Gankuro's confine's, Ursali sneered. "Die..."

And a CPE burst rang out, the reflectors positioning themselves to aim at the shingann.

Quantei howled in agony as his arms and legs were ripped off. He gritted his teeth, willing his Spiral Power to flourish. The limbs were recovered, and he flew back up to Thymilph. He panted, and could hear Thymilph doing the same.

"This guy is one tough cookie, nothing like that _Hawquieru_ I fought a month ago..." panted Thymilph. Quantei shook the sweat from his head, grimacing as his joints and nerves ached, the former at the G-forces, the later due to his Resonance Ratio with the _Serene Suinami_.

"There has to be a weakness to that thing...something we're missing..."

The blue machine remained stoic, glaring up at the two ganmen. They saw a lance of light underneath the water, and several hundred yards away water exploded. Thymilph groaned.

"There goes the torpedoes." Then Quantei remembered the tail.

"Wait a minute..." He knew the tail had a Charge Particle Emitter cannon on it, and coupled with the Stampeder on the head and the other CPE units on the shoulders...

"Thymilph...I need you to hear me out..." said Quantei as the mouth of the dragon's head glowed again.

"Hmm?" The gorilla listened.

"Whatever it is your planning..." smirked Ursali from the ganmen's confines. "It's not going to work!"

The _Dai-Gankuro_ fired it's CPS, the stream of yellow destruction blazing down on the mecha duo.

"Now!"

Thymilph tossed the shingann the Ronginshu lance and both mecha darted off the small island, as it was blasted. Both machines soared in at the _Dai-Gankuro_, water trailing behind them. The shoulder units glowed...

Thymilph lanced upwards into the sky while the _Serene Suinami_ dove into the water, the light show of death beams shooting out. The _Byakou_ twisted and turned with all of Thymilph's skill, narrowly avoiding them.

He grunted when he saw the left arm unit get dissected clean off...

Meanwhile Quantei, who was underwater with the lance, charged Spiral power into the Ronginshu, it's energy now glowing green instead of light blue.

He fired a Condemn Blaze blast underwater towards the blue machine...

And for the first time in the battle, the _Dai-Gankuro_ dodged as green light burst out of the water. Thymilph grinned as he charged downwards.

"Why you little...!" growled Ursali as he positioned the _Dai-Gankuro_'s tail unit to fire upon the Serene Suinami who was trying to swim away but...

"Captain look!" wailed the pufferfish beastman as Ursali turned towards one of his cameras and he felt his machine shudder.

The _Byakou_ was behind the _Dai-Gankuro_'s head, right on the main body and in-between the shoulders and the main energy core.

"Damn you! Get off!" cursed Ursali as the two pincers tried to reach up to grab the striking _Byakou_. But the wide shoulders kept them from reaching the unwanted passenger, which was beating furiously at the main body.

"Have some of this you twats!" yelled Thymilph.

Ursali was starting to sweat. He couldn't position the reflectors to hit Thymilph because the CPE beams would surely hit the _Dai-Gankuro_, possibly even hitting the main energy battery and themselves in the process.

Then he grinned as he remembered a crucial component of his machine.

"Too bad you don't have your lance you monkey!" he sneered over the speakers as the tail unit exploded out of the water, spearing upwards then arching towards the white ganmen. Thymilph turned and tried to leap but too late. He was thrown around inside his cockpit as the tail clutched the _Byakou_. Thymilph could see the glowing red ring of the CPE...

"You're finished..."grinned Ursali.

"That's his line actually," retorted the gorilla beastman. Confidence fled the squid beastman's face, replaced with confusion. Then he remembered the _Serene Suinami_. On one of his cameras he saw a glowing green light...

"What!"

True enough, the _Serene Suinami_ was positioned on an island over a mile away, Ronginshu lance raised like a javelin and it's tip no longer an arrowhead but a screw. Its light was a radiant green.

Ursali felt his heart fall into his many stomachs as his skin took on a sheet of white.

"Stampeder! Fire! Destroy him! Now!" The dragons head glowed...

"Eat this!" The _Serene Suinami_ took several steps forward...

"Mongrels!" And launched the spear dead at the _Dai-Gankuro_, it's CPS still charging. The reflector drones tried to stop the spinning lance's advance, only to explode as the Spiral-infused weapon overwhelmed their systems.

"FIRE! FIRE!" The _Dai-Gankuro_ fired it's Charge Particle Stampeder, the giant yellow beam lancing out to meet the green beam. The tail holding Thymilph shorted out, the CPE unit short-circuiting. The _Byakou_ flew up and away.

The yellow beam slowed the blast, but could not stop it. The Ronginshu raced on, goring into the _Dai-Gankuro'_s neck, plunging into the command center, and then the main power battery. The ganmen exploded, sending up a mushroom cloud.

_Serene Suinami _stood where it was, staring up at the billowing cloud. _Byakou _landed next to it.

"You gonna get my lance back kiddo?" asked the gorilla beastman. The _Serene Suinami_ looked back at the _Byakou _and Quantei sighed.

"I'll get it..." he replied wearily. The white and green shingann headed out over the water, towards where the Ronginshu may be located.

The Byakou knelt, it's mouth opening to let the gorilla hop out onto the sand. He lay down on his back, his arms behind his head, letting the cool sea water tickle his toes.

"Aaaah...This is the life..." He pulled a cola bottle out of nowhere and began to sip it out of a straw.

* * *

_Dai-Gankai_

Adiane couldn't help but smile as she relaxed back into her chair. All around her the crew high fived each other and cheered at the victory over an Imperial enemy.

"Where would we be without those two?" she mused, shaking her head. Suddenly she heard a rumbling on the top of the _Dai-Gankai_.

"Alright! Who wants some Ungo-wait where's the bad guys? What'd I miss?" slurred a slightly drunk Mortaco.

"And then there's this fishhead," remarked Adiane as she rolled her eyes.

* * *

_13 hours later. Chobu Plains, Dai-Gurren._

"That the last of them?" panted Simon as he wiped his brow of sweat.

"Just about, I think we may be good for today." The _Gurren Lagann_ landed on the prow of the _Dai-Gurren_ along with the _Illustrious Kazenami_. Behind them, numerous destroyed enemy ganmen lay strewn about, fires spreading over the grasslands as the sun began to set behind the mountains.

"Finally!" groaned Kittan as his face appeared on _Lagann_'s screen. "Those guys were endless! I mean, I had no time to use the bathroom here, not to mention little food!"

"Yeah no food!" "No food!" agreed Jorgun and Balinbow.

"Dibs on the showers," groused Zorthy, looking just as exhausted as his fellow pilots. Simon gave a nod.

"I heard that Nia maybe cooking tonight..." commented Kiyoh. That got all the pilot's spirits up.

"Nia's gonna cook!" beamed Kittan.

"Food! Nia's food!" "We're getting her cooking!" raved the twins.

"Well I'm first in line boys! Smell ya later!" The _King Kittan_, dragging its feet just a moment ago, was rushing towards the hangar, the other pilots in close pursuit.

"Alright. The sun's setting so we're gonna need all the rest we can get..." commented the digger. "So let's check in, get dinner, get cleaned up and get some sleep."

"Got it..." said the rest of the weary Dai-Gurren Brigade pilot squad as they walked on back to the hangar. The digger looked towards the shingann.

"Yo Kirei, you alright?"

"_I'll be fine, the enemies were easy to combat. It was exhausting due to the sheer number of them sent our way."_

"No kidding about that," agreed Kiyoh from within the shingann. "You think Nia's cooking will be good at all?"

"_No clue."_ remarked the silver haired boy. _"I'm fine with just a few ration bars and a shower. I'm getting to bed ASAP."_

"If you want I can join you," winked Kiyoh. Kirei visibly stammered as pink rushed to his cheeks.

"_K-k-k-Kiyoh I-"_ The blonde laughed.

"I'm just joking around. Not like THAT, but for dinner silly."

"_T-Then sure..."_ sighed the mute Nucleotype as the _Illustrious Kazenami_ was parked in the hangar, the Gurren Lagann right alongside it.

And Simon saw a crowd being formed at the entrance to the hangar, and a familiar face.

"Ah crap," he muttered. "Yoko."

"Right." Both pilots got out of their ganmen and ran over to the shouting mob.

There was Kidd, headbutting with Jack, humans behind Kidd, and beastman behind Jack. The mood was ugly.

"I've just about had it your kind around here!" growled Kidd, teeth bared.

"Look your brother's alive you dumbass so-"

"My brother's almost dead thanks to your people!" he shrieked back, fists clenched. there was other shouting amongst the humans and the beastmen, at each other mostly.

"_Where's Thymilph when you need him!"_ groaned Kirei as he got out of the _Illustrious Kazenami_, landing down on the hangar floor without a hint of injury and running after Simon and Yoko. Kiyoh was still climbing down.

For his actions the previous day Kidd had been locked in the brig overnight. He had been released the following morning when the Imperial army attacked in waves, but with Kittan as his 'escort' to make sure he didn't fly off the handle.

As he was doing right now.

"Hey hey hey! Break up here!" Kittan stepped in between the dog beastman and _Kidd Knuckle_ pilot, a familiar female fishwoman in a white doctor's coat doing likewise.

"Yeah guys seriously? We just got out of a day long engagement with the enemy and we're chomping at the bit to fight each other? Totally counterproductive and-"

"Go to hell fishface!" snapped Kidd, spitting in her face. She showed no reaction, but Jack certainly did, as did his fellow beastmen comrades.

"Why you mother-"

"Kidd!" snapped a voice, and the hangar fell silent. Simon came to a halt, Yoko right behind him, looking towards the doorway.

There was Ailak, limping with a metal peg on his lower right leg, leaning against the metal wall for support. He wore a hospital gown, was bandaged in many places, and walked with a cane. His battered face was twisted into a scowl.

Kidd's sneer became a smile, and he rushed over to his brother.

"Ailak! Ailak you're-"

A loud crack sounded through the air, and collective gasp and groan, and Kidd fell face first onto the floor. Ailak lowered his cane.

"Salaco..." he murmured silently. The fishwoman wiped the spit off of her forehead with her sleeve and looked at the blue haired man, mouth open to tell him to get back to the infirmary but he held up a bandaged hand.

"I know what he did was inexcusable to you, especially a lady, but can you take my idiot brother to the infirmary, I may have just given him a concussion, or a brain contusion."

Salaco just nodded. "Yeah, sure...Someone help me carry this lug!" She said towards the silent crowd of man and beast.

"Here, let me help," said Dayakka, who just arrived in the hangar, placing Kidd's left arm over his neck to hoist him upright, Salaco supporting his right. The crowd remained silent as Kidd was hauled away. Then Kittan's eyes met Jack's.

"So, what happened?" asked the blond. Jack sighed.

"I went down here to thank you," he pointed towards Kittan. "For keeping Coegga in line for most of the day. Then when you went to use the bathroom after hearing that Nia was cooking, Kidd's eyes met with mine and..." The dog beastman shrugged. "The rest is history I suppose." Ailak limped up to the labrador.

"Look, for what my brother did..." Ailak sighed. "I'm not good with words, but sorry. For everything." Jack nodded.

"Yeah, it's cool." He crossed his arms. "I mean, he was mad because he thought he was gonna lose you. I was an only pup growing up so I wouldn't get where he's coming from, but if I ever had one of my own siblings banged up like that, I'd do something about. Besides, you did nothing wrong."

"That's right Ailak," said Simon as he and Yoko stepped forward. "What Kidd did, he did out of his love for you, his brother. Yes he went too far shooting down unarmed beastman, and he'll be punished, but the punishment is really up to you." Ailak looked down at the Digger.

"Just toss him in the brig for a day or two. Give him food and water and a bath, but I'll be sure to give him a long talking to later on." He cracked a cheeky grin. "Plus I heard Nia was gonna cook today! Can't miss out on that now can I!"

That reminded the pilots, and in a flash all of them were rushing down the hallway, Kittan taking a VERY noticeable lead. Jack whistled.

"Well someone's going to be popular tonight," he commented.

"I have a feeling Quantei is going to be fuming about this," Kiyoh joked as she looked down at Kirei, who nodded.

"_No kidding."_ He thought of his androgyne brother, then turned towards Simon.

"_Hey Simon. Shouldn't we check up on Adiane and how she's doing down south?"_

"Yeah, we should. Let's go." Simon led the way out of the hangar and towards the command center.

"Hey Simon."

"Yeah Yoko?"

"Is it me or are the enemies we've been facing have been small fry? So far we've faced nothing but the run-of-the-mill cannon fodder. It's almost as if they are stalling us."

"Probably to gather all of their forces at Teppelin," commented Kiyoh. "So far, they've been keeping our focus on _Dai-Gurren, _and it's all we can do to keep moving." She looked out the window at the looming structure of Teppelin as the _Dai-Gurren_ entered into the first mountain valley. "Up until we reach there...the battles are only going to get harder."

"_And the endgame will be at Teppelin itself..." _added Kirei.

"Against the Spiral King."

Simon looked towards his silver haired companion. "Are you sure you're okay with coming back? Quantei did say that Teppelin was your home."

"_Used to be,"_ corrected Kirei. "_My new home..."_ He looked up at Kiyoh with a smile, his red eyes shining with admiration and affection, "_i__s here with my family."_

"Oh you...!" Kiyoh blushed and brought him in closer with her right arm and kissed his head. Simon and Yoko smiled at the two, who clearly seem to be perfect for each other.

"Cute aren't they?" he whispered into Yoko's ear as he stood up on his tiptoes.

"Quite." She agreed. They continued their walk towards the command center, Kirei and Kiyoh holding hands tenderly. Simon remembered back to the time when Kamina lived, and that he gave Yoko his first kiss and ran off like that. Should he bring it up? When Yoko had talked with Kamina before he died, she said that 'her heart was confused' or something like that.

That was the question that itched at his mind. Confused for what? Entering a relationship? The trials and tribulations that would follow it?

Or that she had already found someone?

Was it that the time they had shared, coping with the loss of the man that bound them all together, may have bound the red string of fate to her?

Simon was confused, because he still had had his crush on her even then. But he had been so distracted as of late that he hadn't really had the time to-

He shook his head. Despite a clear view of Yoko's behind as she talked with Kiyoh and Kirei, he couldn't think of love right now.

Not when they were right on the enemies doorstep.

"Bubu?" Boota asked his benefactor. Simon looked over at the pigmole, as ever seated on his shoulder, and patted his head with a finger.

"Nah, I'm okay Boota. My mind is just...going places I guess."

'_That's right...I need to focus. I have to focus on leading the Brigade on my end. The sooner we can get to Teppelin, and end this war.'_ He looked out the window at the dusk sky, Teppelin rotating high above the mountain tops.

'_The sooner I can ask Yoko how she feels...'_

As he was looking out the window, hands in pockets, Yoko turned her head to gaze at him. Her eyes softened.

'_Simon...'_

"Hello~ girl. You home?" asked Kiyoh, interrupting her reverie.

"Oh yeah!" Yoko turned back towards her blonde friend. "Sorry about that!" She returned to talking with Kiyoh about girl stuff, what types of weaponry they used to fight beastman, all sorts of things.

But Kirei had seen what had passed between them, and the thought of it made him smile. He would certainly mention it to Kiyoh later.

* * *

_Teppelin._

"So, it would appear that Ursali failed," commented Lordgenome casually. Down below his throne: Viral, Guame, Cytomander, Segundio, and Mugen stood at attention.

"I'm actually rather surprised," said Cytomander. "He had the element of surprise, and his ganmen was state of the art too."

"My brother was fighting him. Up against a shingann that can wield the Power of the Spiral his chances of victory was slim to nil," commented Segundio, his slitted green eyes showing no compassion for the fallen Deputy General. "Quantei is not someone to be underestimated."

"Still," said Viral. "The _Dai-Gankuro_ could take on an army and destroy a small mountain on its own. To think it was destroyed..."

"Much like your regiment?" snarked Guame with a smirk.

Viral's shoulder's slumped. He had sent over three hundred ganmen to meet the humans at the Chobu Plains. But once again that damned _Gurren Lagann_ and _Illustrious Kazenami_ had gotten in the way, and once again his command was a pile of scrap. It was starting to piss him off.

"What now?" he asked testily.

"We continue to slow them down, as usual," said Mugen, who stood to Segundio's left. "We have CPUs by the plenty. The soldiers in the mountains are lying in wait for the _Dai-Ganzan_, and they will fight to the last man to make sure they suffer loses. It will not take them a day to get through the mountains, that is certain. The rest of the regular soldiers are here."

"They should be going stir-crazy by now though," remarked Cytomander.

"Which will only add on to their ferocity when they fight," drawled Lordgenome. "The desire to protect the capital, plus their frustration and the taste of battle… the humans will meet their end here. If that is all you need to report, you are all dismissed."

"Sire," replied the four commanders in unison. Cytomander vanished in a gust of wind, Guame dug under the floor, and Viral and Mugen saluted and walked towards the elevator.

And Segundio and Lordgenome were alone.

"Segundio..."

"Yes sire..."

"Be truthful." Lordgenome looked down at the black haired Nucleotype, his green slitted eyes staring back in the Spiral King's spiral ones. "Are you comfortable with the idea of fighting your brothers. Alone?"

"I have to fight them sire..." replied Segundio. "I don't plan on killing them though."

"You believe you can bring them back into the fold?"

Lordgenome had no qualms of bringing Gokami, but Quantei had willingly committed treason. Although the latter's punishment would be nowhere as harsh as Amina's, he was still thinking on how to punish the rebellious Nucleotype for choosing Nia over himself, and his siblings.

"They are my brothers sire. I love them like brothers do..." He turned around and looked back at the Spiral sovereign. "But sometimes, brothers fight." He vanished in a dark-green glow.

Lordgenome sat back into his throne, rested his hand on his knuckles, gave a deep sigh, and returned to his thoughts.

* * *

**And there you have it. All of Day 2. Sorry if it seems rushed, but we all know what happens when mooks run into Simon and Kirei, so I felt there was no point in devoting 1k words into that. Day 3 will be more Kirei and Simon centric though, that I can promise.**

**No ISO? Don't worry, they'll come around...**

**And I have Ballroom dance, Chinese, and Econ. Reasonable excuses for lack of updates. And I was busy through out all summer. Good to finally get this done though.**

**I based the Dai-Gankuro off of two mechas from 2 different series. If you can guess them, you win a cookie.**

**Also, since the rewrite is going on, you may have noticed that Simon and Yoko are not going to be as lovey-dovey as Kirei and Kiyoh right now. I will get into more of their development in the Rewrite(as I did a bad job with just the whole 'kiss-leads-to-girlfriend' thing).**

**Beta'ed by the great Juubi-K. If you like Code Geass, Gundam 00, Gundam SEED, Familiar of Zero, Negima, or Sekirei. ****Check out his stories. It's awesome.**


	31. Battle of Teppelin Day 3 Part 1

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. My OCs belong to me respectively. Jack, Salaco, and Mortaco belong to Toenn Gun.**

_Teppelin Mountains. Battle of Teppelin Day 3_

* * *

"What the!"

Before Kiyoh and Kirei's eyes was a long line into the infirmary. Many of the pilots looked nauseous.

"What happened?" asked Kiyoh, walking up to a green-faced Zorthy, who didn't even bother to smoke.

"Nia's…cooking…" As he said those words, everyone let out a collective groan. The blonde Bachika leant down to her silver-haired half-brother's ear.

"Good thing we skipped out huh?" Kirei nodded at her assessment.

"_I knew something was fishy with her food. _Literally," replied Kirei in her mind. The two of them walked past the line into the infirmary, seeing all the beds filled up with moaning and groaning _Dai-Gurren_ personnel, mainly the pilots. A putrid smell wafted from the buckets by their beds. Kirei and Kiyoh averted eyes at the sound of the twins emptying their stomachs into their buckets. At the far end of the infirmary, tended by Salaco, was a green-faced Kittan.

"I…ate more…" he groaned, struggling to speak.

"I-I did..." added Kidd, raising a hand weakly before letting it fall.

Kirei and Kiyoh's eyebrows twitched in unison. Kiyoh turned towards Salaco who was sitting at her desk drinking coffee.

"They tried to hold an eating contest didn't they?" Kirei had a similar question in mind.

"Yup."

"How much did Nia cook last night?"

"Enough for the garbage disposal to get broken, then repaired from all the crap going down it, whether digested or not."

"_I pity them," _thought Kirei looking up to Kiyoh.

"You and me both," she replied, turning back to the fish beastwoman. "Need any help?"

"Rossiu's handling it just fine." Salaco pointed towards the other end of the infirmary, where Rossiu just entered and set another empty bucket down near Iraak's bed. He then grabbed another full puke bucket and ran out of the infirmary, face in grimace. "I have all of them hopped up on remedies to help their stomachs. I fear for our plumbers though."

"Yeah…good point. Well. We're gonna check up on Simon and the higher ups. Hang in there Sal."

"Been doing just fine thanks," responded the fish girl. The duo left the infirmary, followed by the sound of mass vomiting.

"I-If I can get her kind words for thanking me again! I-I would do this all over a-" Kittan trailed off as his stomach cramped again, sending another stream of vomit into his bucket.

* * *

Simon paced back and forth on the bridge as _Dai-Gurren_ continued its trek in the mountain valley. It was narrow, jagged, and below the fortress ganmen's feet was a small river. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dayaka and Jack at work managing the ship, Attenborough napping at the firing control, Tetsukan playing with a yo-yo, and Yoko hovering nearby.

"Simon, you've been doing that for the past hour," commented Yoko, walking up to him. "What's got you worried?"

"We haven't been attacked yet. We were attacked all day yesterday, they outnumber us who knows how many to one, and we were ailing," said Simon looking out to the mountains as he walked up to the viewglass. Boota scampered up to his shoulder.

"Well, maybe we intimidated them enough?" pondered Tetsukan. Jack rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Not happening. We're a day's length from the capital for-"

"I'm getting activity!" cried out Kinon, her eyes glued to the radar. Her words stirred the crew into instant action.

"Where?" asked Simon, walking up to her. Yoko followed behind him, leaning in to look over Kinon's shoulder. Boota took the opportunity to leap up into Yoko's bosom, making a comfy seat within her cleavage.

"Twelve o'clock!" Jack walked over and grabbed Tetsukan's yo-yo and threw it over by Attenborough's head. The impact of the toy on the glass made the gun-obsessed man jump up from his nap.

"Yo Atten, guns! Dead ahead!"

"Roger that!" Attenborough replied, hands on the controls. He brought up the dashboard, ready to button mash.

"Contacts confirmed! To our right! Three o'clock!"

Attenborough reacted, directing the guns from twelve o'clock to three o'clock.

"No wait there's more of them! To our left!"

The guns shifted to the left.

"Now they're-"

"Can you just give me a place to shoot already!"

Simon turned towards the near-panicking Kinon. "Which area has the most enemies?"

"Behind us!"

Simon pivoted and ran towards the door. "Yoko! Let's go!"

"Right!" Yoko ran right after him, Boota squeaking in her cleavage.

"Well then!" Attenborough flexed his fingers. "Better start clockwise! Guns to the left!" The cannons obeyed.

"Let's blast-"

He was cut off as explosions rippled across the mountainsides to the left and right.

"Huh?"

More explosions, and then the mountaintops shuddered, shifting like quicksand before his eyes. Jack's heart skipped a beat.

"Avalanche!"

* * *

Two darts of green energy sped out of the hangar, spearing towards the mountains.

"I got a visual!" shouted Yoko as she zoomed in on the mountaintops. An instant later _Gurren Lagann _and _Illustrious Kazenami_ opened up on the Grunts. Below them, the snow was thundering towards the _Dai-Gurren_

"Will they be alright?" asked Kiyoh, looking back at the fortress ganmen.

"_Dai-Gurren_ can take it! Believe in them!" Simon shouted back, giving firing controls to Yoko as she aimed her reticule. The red ganmen used its rifle to pick off more and more grunts, explosions tearing through the mountain foliage.

The dark shingann had other plans. Kirei charged, rock and earth bursting as he passed, his blows sending Grunts flying. Slim drill tendrils exploded from the dust and debris, goring the ganmen and tearing them apart. The _Illustrious Kazenami_ flew out of the dust cloud, spinning like a top, the flailing tendrils slicing Grunt after Grunt.

"Can't have you hogging all the fun!" A smile on his face, Simon took out _Gurren Lagann'_s shades and charged on in. His shadesword fell, slicing a Grunt down the middle. He backed off, twirling around in a back-hand slash, cutting another Grunt in half.

Yoko took controls from Simon, grabbing the Sniper Rifle behind the ganmen's waist, and her eyes flashed green as she gripped the controls. The sniper rifle glowed green, then changed into an assault rifle.

"Eat lead!" Her rifle's barrel erupted in green light, drill-like bullets firing out of the weapon and turning the Grunts into Swiss cheese. The clip fell out, and the assault rifle shifted back into a sniper rifle. The enemy ganmen erupted into fireballs, the _Gurren Lagann_'s eyes glowing.

Simon smiled, his face popping up next to a panting Yoko. "Awesome job Yoko! You used Fighting Spirit!"

Yoko looked up, turning some hair aside with her hand. "I did?" she said, feeling a bit winded.

"Yeah! You turned your sniper rifle into a machine gun!"

"I didn't know that. I guess I was too deep into my zone to notice!"

"You totally did girl!" called Kiyoh's voice as the dark shingann walked over. Kiyoh's face appeared on Yoko's monitor, giving her a thumbs up. The redhead smiled and rubbed the back of her head. Boota even popped out of her cleavage and gave his own thumbs up and gave a small grunt of approval.

"Hey, it's no big deal. I mean-"

She was cut off from the tingly feeling in her head. Kirei's face came up in on the monitor next to Kiyoh.

"_There's still more enemies out there. We better take care of them quickly. __Dai-Gurren__ is undermanned today thanks to stomach illness after all. Not to mention it has been snowed in by the avalanche."_

Yoko nodded. "Gotcha. Simon, mind if I take over? I still want to try more of this 'Fighting Spirit' in combat, though for sniping this time."

"Sure thing Yoko!"

"Me and Kirei will handle the bad guys up close and personal." The_ Illustrious Kazenami_'s shoulder pauldrons opened, revealing knife and pistol. A flash of green later and the knife had extended into a sword, and the pistol into something like a shotgun.

Explosions bloomed across the mountainsides as _Dai-Gurren _returned fire. _Illustrious Kazenami_ took off, thrusters flaring, heading for the melee at the mountain floor. _Gurren Lagann _strode to the mountain's edge, holding its sniper rifle once more.

Inside the cockpit, Yoko lowered the targeting module; a scaled-down replica of the sniper rifle. Her finger on the trigger, she brought the eyepiece up to aim.

"Kick back and relax." The crosshairs aimed at a Ganzar A-Type...

"Because I'm going to protect everyone I care about! With this rifle and my spirit!"

She pulled the trigger,, and a bolt of emerald light lanced out to spear the A-Type.

Up in Lagann's cockpit, Simon was impressed at Yoko's growth. She could finally use Fighting Spirit, much as he had with Kamina not so long ago.

"_You'd be proud of her bro,'_ thought Simon as he looked up at the sky, wondering if Kamina was looking down smiling.

* * *

_Teppelin_

The war room in Teppelin was buzzing with activity, with tacticians and high-ranking officers moving to and fro. The centre of attention was the strategic hologram, looming large in the middle of the chamber. It showed a map of the Teppelin mainland, coloured a bright blue. To the east, a blotch of red was seeping through like a slithering snake, coming to a halt in the Branus mountains.

"Contact from Guame's forces!" reported a cat beastwoman. "They're engaged with the rebels in the Branus range! Taking heavy losses!" The beastwoman turned towards Mugen Kanus, who was pacing around the hologram. "Permission for them to retreat sir?"

"Granted. Have them fall back to Point 3. Send whatever CPU-Ganmen to stall, with self-destruct activated. Have them regroup and attack tomorrow."

The dog beastman turned his attention to the southern part of the mainland, and a bigger, bright blotch of red.

"Report from the Delta?" he asked. A male rabbit beastman looked up from his comm station.

"They can't stop _Dai-Gankai_. The delta is flooding."

"Are they asking for permission to retreat?"

"Yes sir."

"Granted. Have them fall back to Point Z and tell them to dig in."

"Point Z sir?" asked an owl beastman, turning his head a full one-eighty. "But that's at the plains! They would be in eyesight of the capital!"

"They're gonna dig in in front of the capital. They'll get reinforcements when they do. Relay the order."

"Y-Yes sir!" The rabbit beastman turned back to his station, talking up a storm. Mugen continued to pace around the hologram, pondering on where to dig in. Should he plug the entrance to the plains with a Fortress Dai-gun? Or should he commit against the _Dai-Gankai _from the Xelhi and send Segundio to the east?

Mugen's train of thought was interrupted by a dark green light appearing in front of him, like a flame flaring and vanishing in the blink of an eye. The sound and sight made everyone pause, but Mugen knew.

"Ah, Sir Segundio," said Mugen. The light faded, and out came the pale Royal Knight. His slitted green eyes showed no emotion.

"Kanus. I am here to inform you that I will launching soon."

Mugen was caught by surprise. Segundio was meant to stay here!

"Before you ask," said the shingann pilot. "I suggest you expand the hologram to beyond the borders of the mainland. There you will see why."

The dog beastman looked incredulous. "And may I ask why Sir Segundio?"

"See for yourself."

Mugen turned towards a specialist and nodded his head. Moments later the map was expanded. Over the ocean to the east, behind the red of the _Dai-Gurren_ Brigade, was a bunch of white dots moving eastward.

"How did-"

"Our satellites and spy network has confirmed it. It appears..." Segundio's countenance darkened. "There are more rebels on the way." The war room hummed with hushed whispers and murmurs

"More of them!" Mugen's eyes widened, disbelieving. He turned towards another officer. "Bring up a visual!"

"Sir!"

Moments later, the hologram was replaced by a high in the sky view of the ocean over where the unknown white dots were located.

"Are those _Dai-Ganzan_ MiniTypes!" asked a comm officer, surprised.

"Not anymore. Look closely," Segundio added. "They have been outfitted to look like the _Dai-Ganzan_ that has been stolen."

Mugen stared up at the screen. He had known there might be rebel reinforcements, but with the weather as bad as it had been those past few days, he didn't think they would be brave enough to fly.

Wait. Flying?

"If they're flying over the Mendel Channel then that means-"

"They either managed to replicate the Levi-Sphere technology, or they stole it. Probably the latter," commented Segundio, standing next to Mugen. "But fear not Kanus, I will be handling this affair."

"You will?"

"Naturally." Segundio turned around and proceeded to walk away. "Continue your job Kanus, I will return by dawn tomorrow." The dark-haired Royal Knight then disappeared in black green-tinged light. Silence fell over the war room.

Mugen bit the inside of his cheek. He would have preferred if Segundio stayed and assisted in the defense, but the Second Survivor had a point. They couldn't let these reinforcements get into the mainland. It would give fresh bodies to the rebels, and that was the last thing the operation needed.

"Back to work," commanded Mugen. He turned back to the central board and changed the map back to the Teppelin Mainland. The red blotches put him in mind of spilled blood soaking into cloth.

* * *

High above the clouds, a hatch opened just under Teppelin's outer rim. Two long prongs reached out, blinking with lights.

Deep within, the launch pad was readying. Spiral hatches spun open, and a dark green and purple machine emerged.

It was of much the same character as _Serene Suinami _and _Illustrious Kazenami. _Like them its limbs were long and narrow, but its torso was larger and heavier. It was purple, decorated with a black saltire along the upper chest, with eyes to left and right giving it the look of a face. Its purple and black head was crowned with three horns, and a third eye under the foremost horn. Its forearms were broader and heavier than those of its brothers, with three-bladed claws instead of hands. A levi-sphere bulged on its back, mounted with two short wings, just below the heavy pauldrons.

Deep within, the cockpit lit up, revealing Segundio Twon dressed in a purple and white pilot suit. He opened his eyes, staring out into the blue sky.

"Segundio Twoni. _Overwhelm Tsuchinami_." The eyes of the shingann lit up with green light.

"Launching."

The shingann sped out like a bullet, its levi-sphere glowing black with a deep green tinge. It soared east through the sky, leaving a trail behind, as the sun began to set.

_"Gokami. Wait for me..."_ Segundio bit his lip. "_You're big brother Dio is coming to bring you home. No matter what."_

The sound barrier broke as the _Tsuchinami_ roared across the horizon.

* * *

**OH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK**

**I have really neglected writing this and to my readers I sincerely apologize. I just have lost my writing mojo over the last half-dozen months for writing and focusing on this story. CMM, RPing, writing fetish work, and real life issues have gotten in the way, which consist of:**

**Playing BioShock Infinite over and over again**

**Final year of junior college. Prepping to transfer to Utah State**

**My grandpa dying and traveling to his funeral and prepping and doing his memorial service**

**My parents leaving to tend to his dying days, and during so, my sister broke her foot so I had to tend to her hand and foot as well as drive her and myself to work.**

**And finally, summer rolling around and I am now working 10 hours a day 5 days a week under my dad. The pay however is good, but I wake up at 4/5 am and come back around 4/5 in the afternoon.**

**Now you see why I am so distracted over these months. Not to mention laziness in general(I'm that type of guy) and my irking parents, oh, and watching and reading new series(Majestic Prince, Tower of God to name a few). I got inspiration for this chapter after watching Evangelion 3.33(which was EoE level bad)**

**So this chapter was mainly a Part 1 of Day 3, so we're roughly at the half way point because Day 4 and 5 will be very light on combat. It's Day 6 and 7 where the heavy stuff are taking place.**

**Plus I admit, I don't really know what to do storyline wise aside from the major stuff on Day 6 and 7, so if anyone wants to help me on Day 4 and 5, please do send a PM or a review.**

**Thank you for your patience, and if you can guess which mechas I based the Tsuchinami off of...well here's a hint: it's from two major mainstream shows, that have come out recently.**

**Beta'ed by Juubi-K.**


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